


He Was Running

by isetfiretopeople



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Binge Drinking, Blow Jobs, Brief mentions of gore, Facebook, Hand Jobs, Homophobia, M/M, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Sneaking Around
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-22
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-01-20 09:51:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 56,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1506107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isetfiretopeople/pseuds/isetfiretopeople
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For as long as he can remember Arthur Pendragon has been plagued by nightmares. Dreams of running, of forests and monsters and of castles and sorcery. Dreams of a mysterious blue-eyed, dark haired saviour. </p><p>Then one day Arthur bumps into someone baring an uncanny resemblance to the stranger that haunts his dreams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

He was running. Running away from something. Heart pounding in his chest, breath starting to come in short gasps. He didn’t know what he was running from. Only that if it caught him that it would rip him limb from limb, granting him an extremely slow and painful death. Sweat poured down his face, his feet slapping down onto the uneven ground. He was in a forest, the ground riddled with roots and twigs and tufts of grass, all determined to get into his way. The trees were getting thicker and he was pushing past them, letting branches fling back behind him but it was getting more and more difficult. The beast was gaining on him. He could hear it; almost smell its foul breath.

Suddenly, he was on the floor. Scrambling across the ground, grazing his hands on the twigs and stones that surrounded him. As he scrambled, he realised that by his side there was a sword. Where did that come from? He grabbed it, brandishing the sword in the general direction of the beast. He could make out the shadow moving above him, but it was too dark to make out any details. He closed his eyes. This was it.

Somewhere behind him, there was a yell. A language he did not recognise. Then a flash of light so bright that he could see it through his eyelids. The grunts of the creature subsided in that moment and he opened his eyes, bracing himself for what he would see.

He was met by a pair of blue eyes hovering above him, framed by pale skin and dark hair.

***

Arthur gasped, sitting up quickly. It took a few seconds for him to realise that he was sat in his bed. He had been dreaming again. He was not being pursued through the forest. His life had not just been saved by a mysterious stranger with strange powers. His breathing evened out a little. This was real life. He had nothing to worry about apart from perhaps the occasional football injury. He tried not to think too much about the dream and what it meant. He'd been having similar dreams for as long as he could remember. He was always running, always being chased. And _he_ was always there. Whoever _he_ was.

Arthur squinted, only just noticing that sunlight was shining directly onto his face through the gap in the curtain. A quick glance at the clock revealed it was 6:27am. Three minutes until his alarm. He groaned to himself. He still felt like he could sleep for a week. He never felt particularly rested after one of his dreams. As if running in his unconscious drained his energy for the day.

Rubbing his eyes, Arthur shuffled to his en suite bathroom. He took a slash while waiting for the shower to warm up. After a few minutes, steam began to fill the room. Arthur dropped his boxers to the floor and stepped into the shower, relishing the relaxing warmth of the jets of water hitting his back. He stood there, unmoving for quite a while, allowing the water to wash over him, washing away the memory of his most recent dream. Arthur watched his pale flesh turn pink from the heat of the water. His muscles relaxed and he sighed contentedly. Eventually he reached out and grabbed his body wash, scrubbing himself allover, washing away the sweat from the night. After washing his hair, Arthur stepped out of the shower feeling utterly refreshed.

Draping a towel around his waist, Arthur made his way to the bathroom mirror, realising too late (just like every morning) that it was covered in condensation. He would have to wait if he wanted to shave.

He shuffled back into his bedroom, finding his school uniform hanging on the outside of his wardrobe. By the feel of it, the uniform was freshly ironed. There was something satisfying about climbing into a freshly ironed uniform, Arthur thought.

He donned fresh boxers, as well as black trousers, a crisp white shirt and the red tie that represented his school colours. Finally he draped the school blazer around his shoulders. Strictly, sixth formers did not have to wear the blazers but Arthur knew that his farther would go mental if Arthur did not wear it. 'You are meant to be setting an example,' he would snap. 'Pendragons always take pride in their appearance. What would everyone think?'

The voice of Uther Pendragon echoed around Arthur's head, reciting the many rants and scoldings Arthur had been on the receiving end of. Yes, it was perhaps better to opt for a quiet life and do as he was told.

Once dressed, Arthur flashed himself a smile in the mirror that hung on the wardrobe door. He ran his hand over the small amount of fuzz that had formed on his chin. He thought he looked rather dashing, if he did say so himself. He could skip his shave for today, he decided.

Upon entering the dining room, Arthur found that one of the seats was taken by his half-sister, Morgana Pendragon.

"Uther left already," she said without looking up from the newspaper she was holding. Arthur thought that she was perhaps only pretending to read it, trying to look impressive as Arthur entered the room. Not that Morgana needed to try to look impressive. That was a skill that came naturally to the black haired beauty.

Nodding Arthur took his seat opposite her, pouring himself a bowl of cornflakes and a glass of orange juice. Arthur had noted Morgana's use of the word 'Uther' rather than 'Father' and deduced that for some reason, Morgana was yet again pissed off. As such, Arthur remained quiet. He, for one, did not wish to get on Morgana's bad side.

"He's going to miss my match today," Morgana said after a few moments of silence. Arthur noted that she kept her voice level, but there was certain sadness in her eyes, which she expertly diverted from Arthur's view. Arthur knew that for all the fallings out between his sister and their father all Morgana really wanted was to be truely accepted by Uther. Regardless of who she was. Arthur had to admit that deep down, that was what he wanted too; the acceptance of his father.

"Who are you playing against?" Arthur asked, testing the water. Morgana was in a bad mood, that was certain. However, if Arthur played his cards right, he did not have to be on the receiving end of her wrath this morning. Angry Morgana was down right terrifying at times.

"Avalon community college," she shrugged. "We're going to crush them,"

Arthur did not know much about Avalon community college; his farther had absolutely forbidden him from applying there. According to Uther, Avalon Community college accepted any old riff-raff and had a drug problem. Arthur, not knowing anyone that attended the college had once more stayed quiet and nodded his head in time to his father's rantings whenever the topic had arose. Anything for a quiet life.

Realising that he was letting his cereal go soggy, Arthur started shoveling spoonfuls into his mouth. Morgana fixed him with a look of disgust, perfectly plucked eyebrow raised.

"You're such a pig," she snorted and then laughed as her brother flashed her a toothy smile, mouth still full of half-chewed cornflakes.

He swallowed. "Home or away?" He asked, returning to the topic of Morgana's netball match.

She smiled slightly at this question. "Away of course. No wonder Uther made his excuses in such a hurry. He wouldn't be caught dead in that place,"

Again, Arthur chose not to answer, instead focussing on the contents of his bowl. Of course Morgana was happy that their father was uncomfortable with the venue of tonight's game. It seemed that at some point, Morgana had decided that if Uther was not going to accept her for who she was then she was going to make him as uncomfortable as she possibly could.

"I expect you will be there to cheer me on?" Morgana asked, folding the newspaper and placing it on the table. She fixed him with an impenetrable stare, as if daring her brother to say no.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he answered though it was not strictly true. Of course Arthur would go. He always did. But he hated to think of Uther's reaction when he found out that both of his children had set foot inside Avalon community... Arthur shuddered. He did not know which family member he would prefer to piss off.

The answer seemed to please Morgana. She rose from her chair gracefully, smoothing down her skirt and flashing a grin towards Arthur. "See you later, brother"

Arthur was left alone to finish his breakfast in thoughtful silence. Once finished, he rushed back upstairs to clean his teeth, being extremely careful not to dribble toothpaste down his clean clothes. He would much prefer to get dressed after cleaning his teeth but father disliked it when his children wondered the house in their night clothes. Anything for a quiet life, Arthur thought as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Instead of combing his hair straight, Arthur ruffled his hair into a semi-messy style. Another small act of rebellion that didn't matter. Uther was not here to notice and Arthur admitted to himself, he doubted anyone would care as much as Uther seemed to think they would. Still, Arthur felt somewhat empowered.

Arthur's bag of books and his football kit were placed next to his bedroom door. He shouldered them both and headed back downstairs, taking two at a time. He selected his shoes from the rack, noticing that Morgana's school shoes had already gone. She had left without him, as she usually did.

He left the house, calling good bye to whatever staff were still inside. It was very rare that Arthur ever saw the maids or the cooks but he knew they were about. The house didn't just tidy itself. It seemed that his father preferred the staff to stay out of sight whenever possible. Either that or the staff had an agreement to keep well away from the Pendragon family.

Arthur drove to school, the local radio station babbling away in the background. It was rare that he took in what the overly cheerful presenters were pratteling on about, particularly at this time in a morning, but Arthur rather liked the sense of comfort the two familiar voices provided. For the twenty minute car ride, Arthur didn't feel quite as lonely as sometimes.

He pulled up in the carpark reserved for sixth formers. As usual, he parked next to his sister's dark green mini. Arthur sat in his car a moment or two longer, ensuring he had all of his belongings when suddenly there was a tap on his window. Arthur looked up to be met by the new kid, Gwaine, he thinks his name is.

Most people that attended Camelot sixth form had previously attended Camelot highschool. Every year, however, a couple of kids from _'less fortunate backgrounds'_ as Arthur's father put it were accepted into the Sixth Form program. Gwaine was one of those kids that had somehow shown himself to be clever enough or charming enough to be accepted into the prestigious school. Arthur sometimes wondered how on earth Gwaine had pulled it off, but he had a certain magnetic charm that seemed to pull people towards him. Arthur, personally, didn't see the appeal towards the young man, but his football mates had welcomed him with open arms.

Arthur slowly opened the door of his bright red Porsche, careful not to catch Gwaine with it.

"Nice ride, Pendragon,"

"I know," Arthur shot back, walking towards the school building. Gwaine started walking with him, half a step behind.

"Hey, listen... I was wondering..."

Arthur stopped walking and turned to face his pursuer. Gwain was rubbing his hand on the back of his neck.

"I'm having a party on Saturday night..."

Arthur had never seen Gwaine in the short time he had known him look this nervous.

"Are you trying to ask me out?" Arthur asked, cutting off the other boy. To his surprise Gwaine let out a startled laugh.

"What? No! Don't flatter yourself Pendragon. I was just inviting you and your buddies to my birthday party," Gwaine explained, unable to keep the teasing grin from his face.

Arthur let out a laugh; an attempt to assure Gwaine that he had been joking. He wasn't sure if Gwaine bought it or not but the other boy promptly changed the subject.

"Better get to my form room. See ya later, yeah?"

Arthur gave a feeble nod and watched as Gwaine sprinted away. After a few seconds Arthur made his way to his own form room for registration. When he entered the room, his friends were already there. Arthur took his usual seat in between Leon and Percival. He nodded at both Owain and Pellinore.

"What's new, Arthur?" Leon asked.

"Nothing much," Arthur shrugged. "New kid wants us to go to his party,"

"I overheard Vivian talking about a party at Gwaine's place," Owain chimed in. "Parents out of town, free booze, it's gunna be awesome,"

"I'm not sure," Arthur said.

"Gwaine's a good guy," Percival said. "I'll go,"

"I just think the kid's all talk. Seems a bit desperate if you ask me," Arthur said, keeping his voice low.

"I reckon you're jealous," Leon smirked. "Frightened of a bit of competition,"

The rest of the boys sniggered. Leon was the only one that was completely comfortable on telling Arthur how it was and Arthur often saw the truth in his words, even hidden under the guise of banter. Arthur had always been somewhat popular; someone the guys looked up to and someone the girls all crushed on. He was well aware of this, but ever since the appreance of Gwaine, he'd found his position somewhat challenged. What made it worse was that the new kid didn't seem to have a clue. He had the cheek to actually be nice to Arthur.

Just at that second their form tutor, Mr Monmouth walked in, saving Arthur from having to come up with a satisfactory witty retort. Mr Monmouth called out a series of names, waiting each time for the "here, sir," that usually followed. He also rattled off a number of announcements that Arthur barely listened to. Moments later, Arthur was on his way to the first lesson of the day: business studies, a class taken mostly to appease his father.

The double period passed in a blur, Arthur focussing on his coursework. Every so often he would catch whispers of the latest gossip, Gwaine’s upcoming party being be main talking point. Arthur made a point to ignore the chatter, instead typing madly.

Third period was a free period for Arthur, along with Leon, Percival, Pellinore and Owain. Apart from registration and lunch times, it was the only chance when the five friends managed to spend time together.  During free periods, sixth formers were expected to either spend their time studying in the library or ICT rooms, or to congregate in the common room. Arthur’s group of friends, however, often found themselves on the school field. They managed to get away with it by claiming that they were studying for their physical education assessments. After all, they could not practise in the library. The fact that only Arthur and Percival studied physical education seemed to pass over most of the teachers heads. The boys were not going to complain.

“Fancy a kick about?” Percival asked as the five friends met on the field. He had somehow managed to rustle up a football. “Bit of a warm up before practise,”

There was a nod of general agreement. The boys were all part of the school football team, along with a few others. This year, the new coach was pushing the team harder than ever and dealing out ridiculous punishments if they didn’t meet his standards. As a result, the friends had opted to practise as much as they could in favour of ridiculous amounts of press ups or laps around the field.  They split into two teams; Arthur and Pellinore against Leon and Percival while Owain was in the net. They played for almost half an hour before Arthur slid across the floor in an attempt to tackle Leon. Leon expertly manoeuvred the ball away, leaving Arthur lying on the ground.

“Shit,” Arthur looked down at his legs, realising that he was now covered in mud. Why had he neglected to change before playing?

“Uhoh, someone’s gunna be in trouble!” Pellinore called, realising what Arthur was cussing at. The other boys laughed; some of them were also splattered in mud, though not to the same extent as Arthur.

“Better get myself cleaned up,” Arthur muttered and began to pick himself off the ground.

“Hey!” a new voice called out. Arthur looked up to see Gwaine approaching and waving. “Mind if I join you guys?”

Arthur groaned to himself but said nothing.

“Sure! We’re a man down anyway,” Leon answered, glancing in Arthur’s direction. “Arthur had a little accident,”

“Tough ride, eh, Pendragon?” Gwaine grinned, patting Arthur rather boisterously on the shoulder.

Arthur let out an ‘hmm’ of non-committal agreement. “Yeah, see you guys at practise,” he announced before walking away, trying to plot the best way to reach a bathroom without being spotted by a teacher. If he was spotted in this state, he knew it would somehow get back to his father and he would never hear the end of it. Once he reached the edge of the field, Arthur glanced over his shoulder at his friends. He was too far away now to hear what they were saying, but judging by their body language, someone had said something tremendously funny.

The trip to the bathroom was successful and Arthur went largely undetected. He scrubbed at the dirt on his trousers, feeling relieved that it came away fairly easily. Arthur made a note to make sure that next time he would change into his football kit. His friends would probably laugh and tease, but they all knew how controlling Arthur’s farther could be and as a result, did not usually question Arthur’s odd behaviour.

The bell rang to signify lunch time just as Arthur had deemed his appearance acceptable once again. He quickly made his way to the gym building and changed into his football kit. The others took a while to appear so Arthur sat on the bench and wolfed down his sandwiches while he waited. His buddies arrived together, Gwaine in tow. A few other boys from the lower school also joined them in the changing room, exchanging banter. Arthur remained relatively quiet.

Just as the last of the team finished changing, the coach entered the room. Coach Valiant was a young man, only a few years older than the team but he had cold, hard eyes as if he had seen and experienced much more than you would expect from a man like him. He was good at his sport, but he sure did know it, making sure his team knew that he outranked them in both years and skill. However, Valiant's natural skill seemed to make him assume that everyone had the same capabilities as he. If they could not do the task, in Valiant's eyes, they were simply not trying. He showed no compassion for those less able, instead dealing out punishments to those that did not meet his standards.

In the months since Valiant had taken over the team, Arthur had found himself enjoying football less and less. Maybe that was a lie. He still enjoyed the sport, but at times was seriously beginning to despise practise. Sometimes he thought about leaving the team, but he couldn't even begin to think what his father would say to that.

Today, however, practise went fairly smoothly, apart from a couple of the lads earning themselves a few extra laps of the pitch. It seemed that Valiant must have been in a good mood.

After lunch time, Arthur had physical education alongside Percival. The aim of the lesson was to learn the whereabouts and the jobs of various muscles in the body, however, it soon devolved into Arthur and Percival passing notes underneath the table.

_'You thought any more about Sat night? P'_

Arthur rolled his eyes.

_'You guys are going to pressure me until I give in, aren't you? A'_

_'Yup. P'_

_'Don't think father will be too pleased. A'_ Arthur sent the reply, watching Percival carefully for a reaction. The paper was handed back a few minutes later.

_'Tell him you're with Leon. He adores the boy. It's not a lie. P'_

Arthur sighed again. Leon and Arthur had known each other since they were tiny. Their fathers were business partners or something like that. Uther trusted Leon's family. Arthur gave a slight nod in Percival's direction. He suspected the boys had already formulated a plan to get Arthur to Gwaine's party. It was useless protesting. Anyway, maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

Percival seemed to understand that the conversation was over and that he had won. He smirked at Arthur and turned back to his diagrams. Arthur tried to do the same but found his concentration slipping. He hated just how much of his life was dictated by his father; what friends he had, what class he took, where he went. Even down to the way Arthur wore his hair. Sometimes he wished his role was reversed with his sister. Morgana craved Uther's attention, but seemed to get very little. The times that Uther did give Morgana attention, it was often in the form of disappointment.

The last class of the day, mathematics, passed without incident apart from Arthur being extremely confused throughout the hour. He began to wonder why he'd taken the class; maths was not his strong suit. He knew exactly why he had taken the class. It was expected.

Arthur was relieved when the bell rang to signify the end of the day. He rushed to his car, looking forward to the moment that he would enter his bedroom and he would be able to relax. Though the day had been mostly uneventful it had seemed long.

When Arthur reached his car however, he was greeted by the sight of Morgana leaning against her green mini.

"I'm heading back with Morgause," she announced without greeting Arthur. She nodded to the blonde haired girl sat in Morgana's passenger seat. Morgause was Morgana's half-sister though Arthur shared no parentage with her. The older girl was fiercely protective of her little sister and often showed nothing but disdain towards Arthur and his father.

"I'll see you later then," Morgana grinned and got into her car. Within seconds she was speeding out of the carpark. Arthur sighed. He had forgotten about Morgana's netball match that evening. While he wanted nothing more than to lock himself in his bedroom, he would never hear the end of it if he didn't show.

Not wanting to be on his own, Arthur sent a text to Leon asking if he would come along. Seconds later he got a reply 'C U there :)'

Arthur had time to quickly get changed into a pair of jeans and a red T-shirt upon arriving home. He made himself some beans on toast as that was about all he could confidently cook without burning down the kitchen. He left a quick note for Uther explaining that he would be back late, though he did not elaborate on his whereabouts.

Arthur programmed the name of the college into his sat-nav and set off. Upon arrival, Leon was already there. He had changed into a pale blue button down shirt and some jeans.

"Who you trying to impress?" Arthur called as he approached.

"I don't know what you mean," Leon smiled back, but Arthur noted there was a slight glow to his friend’s cheeks.

"Do you like one of the girls on the team?" Arthur grinned, poking the other boy in the ribs. Arthur would not blame Leon if he did; the girls netball team was full of attractive ladies.

Leon let out a laugh "is that what you think?"

Arthur shrugged "you haven't dressed up for me have you? Come on, let's get inside,"

The pair entered the building, following the signs that pointed towards the sports hall. There were plenty of people milling about. Arthur couldn't help but feel slightly awkward and out of place. He knew it was silly; no one was looking at him. Plus there would be lots of people here to support Camelot anyway.

They chose a seat in the middle of the benches, chatting idly about this and that. After a few minutes, the two teams congregated in the middle of the room. Camelot’s team was wearing red bibs. Arthur easily spotted Morgana standing closely with her sister. He also recognised Vivian and Mithian from his classes at school. The other girls were familiar, but were part of the lower school. He did not know their names.

Arthur's eyes flickered towards the other team. They were wearing bibs of deep blue, huddled tight and discussing strategy. Unsurprisingly, he did not recognise any of them. The two teams were given a few moments to talk before they took up their positions.

Morgana walked towards the net to take her place as goal keeper. She was joined shortly afterwards by an attractive dark skinned girl, who was trying her best to look as intimidating as Morgana came across. Arthur thought that it made her look rather cute.

"Way out of your league mate," Leon whispered into his ear. Arthur started.

"Oh come on. You were practically drooling,"

Arthur felt himself blushing. "Shut your mouth," Leon laughed but left it at that.

For most of the game Arthur watched Morgana and the pretty girl fight for dominance in their third of the pitch. A couple of times he could see Leon smirking in his direction. Arthur didn't respond. He was here to watch Morgana after all. It was hardly his fault that her opponent was attractive. The two girls were quite evenly matched in skill; however Morgana was taller than the other girl, giving her a slight advantage. Time after time Morgana intercepted the girl's attempts to score.

Morgana's smile grew wider as she continued to successfully block her opponent, her eyes teasing. Arthur thought it was as if she was taunting the other girl. She probably was, he realised. It was a very Morgana thing to do.

The ball once more ended up at Morgana's end. Morgana moved towards the net, getting ready to guard. But Morgana did not move fast enough, seemingly having grown complacent. The other girl caught the ball with ease, pivoted and took aim. The ball sailed through the air, through Morgana's outstretched hands and straight into the basket.

A cheer went up from somewhere beside him. Arthur glanced around to see a small group of four or five people standing, clapping and cheering.

"That's my girl!" A man was shouting, presumably her father. There was a boy that may have been the girl’s brother. A couple of friends, too.

Arthur's breath hitched in his chest. It felt as if his heart had stopped. Staring back at him from the group of strangers were a pair of familiar blue eyes. A pair of blue eyes framed by pale skin and dark hair. 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and the guys attend Gwaine's house party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Apologies for taking my time posting this chapter.  
> Apologies also for any mistakes in the chapter. If you spot any don't hesitate to let my know. This chapter was written on my phone so it's a little difficult to edit. Though that's not really an excuse.  
> Looking forward hearing what everyone thinks.

He was running. Tearing through small winding streets. A small village. He knew he had never been here yet it was strangely familiar. His feet automatically knew which direction to go, which path to take. The roads were paved with cobbles; uneven and unpredictable. He started to stumble as he ran. Panic was rising in his chest. Above his head was the unmistakable terrifying sound of huge leathery wings beating. He didn’t dare look up. He did not want to come face to face with the beast. His pace quickened, feet slapping hard and fast on the path beneath him. His breathing was becoming erratic. He was panicking, running wildly.

He was vaguely aware of something hard against his hip. It was his sword. He doubted that it would be of any use against this pursuer. 

The streets were empty, through for some reason he knew they were usually bustling with activity. Still he ran. The streets were like a maze. Turning this way as that. There was no escape. Streets and alleyways turned into dead ends. There was a roar behind him. An uncomfortable warmth narrowly missed his shoulder as a jet of fire shot over him. 

This was it. It had him cornered. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the inevitable…

A voice called out somewhere before him. Strong and commanding though he did not understand the words. He braced himself for the blow, but it did not come. The beast was nowhere to be seen. Hovering above him were the concerned blue eyes of a familiar stranger.

**

When Arthur woke up he was sweating. His legs were tangled in his bed sheets as if he had been trying to run in his sleep. His heart was still pounding in his chest as the details of the dream swam around his head. He reminded himself that it wasn’t real. There were no monsters. There was no sword. There was no mysterious man waiting to step in and rescue him.

Except…

Arthur recalled the events from the night before. Locking eyes with the blue eyed stranger. A stranger that for a split second had looked just as startled as Arthur had felt. Then the other boy had grinned and turned away. And that was it. 

It was probably a coincidence Arthur decided, but he couldn’t stop his mind from dwelling on the boy from the match and his uncanny resemblance to the man from Arthur’s dreams. 

Arthur let his head fall back onto the pillow. He didn’t want to get up. He didn’t want to deal with school and friends and coursework. He just wanted to sleep. But even in his sleep he was unable to relax. 

Eventually Arthur decided it was time to move. He did not want to be late for school. He shuffled into the bathroom and followed his usual routine; taking a pee while waiting for the shower to reach a satisfactory temperature.

Peeling off his underwear, Arthur stepped underneath the soothing jets of water. Washing away the sweat and the memories of last night’s dream. The water washed over his shoulders and cascaded down his back. If only he could stay here forever. His morning shower was the only time that Arthur truly had to relax.

Sighing contentedly Arthur leaned his head back, letting his hands snake further down his body. His mind wondered to the attractive girl from the night before, imagining the fire in her eyes directed at him and his hands tangled in her curly hair. His fingers tracing the soft curves of her body. She was kneeling in front of him, looking up, a teasing smile in her dark eyes. Arthur bit his lip to stop a moan from escaping, letting his eyes flutter shut. Yes, this was exactly what he needed. Arthur shifted his stance slightly, imagining himself looking down at her. Only it wasn’t her he was seeing. Staring back at him was a pair of deep blue eyes. 

Arthur’s breath hitched. He couldn’t even escape the mystery man in his daytime fantasies. He slowed, guiltily wondering whether he should carry on. He had always thought he had liked women. He knew he liked women. Then why was this man continually invading his fantasies? Arthur reached for his flannel, pushing all thoughts of the blue eyed stranger from his mind.

He finished getting ready on autopilot, carefully keeping his mind blank.

**

Arthur carefully padded down the stairs in search of breakfast. This morning Uther was sat behind the newspaper at the breakfast table, an untouched black coffee and a full English on the placemat before him. It did not surprise Arthur that Morgana was nowhere in sight.

“Good morning Father,” Arthur greeted, seating himself opposite the older Pendragon.

Uther folded the paper in front of him, surveying his son with an unreadable expression. Arthur reached across the table to grab some toast from the rack. He carefully buttered it before reaching for the raspberry jam.

“Did you have a nice evening?” his father asked, just as Arthur took a large bite out of his toast. Arthur struggled to chew quickly and swallow before giving a cautious “Yes, thank you,”

“What did you get up to?” Arthur was unsure if this was Uther genuinely taking an interest or if he was somehow trying to catch Arthur out. If Uther found out that he’d been to Avalon without his permission there would be hell to pay. 

“Went out with Leon,” Arthur answered, frantically trying to push away the memory of those strangely familiar blue eyes staring back at him from across the room. Arthur felt sick. When Uther didn’t answer Arthur hastily added “we went to the library. Coursework,”

That seemed to please Uther as he broke out into a smile. “Jolly good,” he said and finally tucked into his breakfast. Arthur tried not to breathe the sigh of relief that was threatening to spill from his lips. Apparently that was all the fatherly interest that Uther could muster this morning.

**

Arthur completed getting ready for school, opting to shave this morning; he had seen Uther shooting sideways glances at him and assumed the face-fuzz was the probable reason for Uther’s apparent displeasure. He ran a hand over his chin, wincing slightly at how young he looked. He then gathered together his books and left the house.

Yet again, the radio droned on in the background, Arthur hardly paying attention to the topic of the morning. His mind wondered, for the umpteenth time, to the night before.

Those striking blue eyes, staring back at him. Wide with shock, probably mirroring Arthur’s expression. Then he had turned away like it was nothing. For a second, Arthur had thought that maybe the boy had recognised him too. The abrupt-turn away, however made Arthur think that the boy was weirded out by Arthur’s crazed expression. Arthur had found himself glancing at the boy every so often for the remainder of the match. Trying to reassure himself that it was not the person from his dreams. 

Arthur did not know whether to be relieved or disappointed that the boy had not so much as glanced in his direction for the rest of the evening. Arthur had been left to steal glances, committing the boy’s profile to memory. In fact, Arthur had found himself so distracted that he didn’t even know which team had won until Morgana had bounded up to him, an excited smile plastered across her face.

“Well done, sis,” he had said, clapping her on the shoulder as Leon shouted his congratulations to the rest of the team.

Arthur was pulled out of this thought as he backed into his usual parking spot. This time there was no one waiting to badger him with random invitations. He walked slowly to the form room, savouring the relative quiet. He knew that today would be full of non-stop chatter about Gwaine’s party the following night and since Arthur had begrudgingly agreed to attend he would not be except from the gossip and speculation. 

Of course he was right. Upon entering his form room, Arthur was greeted by his friends discussing the following night.

“Does anyone know where Gwaine actually lives?” Pellinoree was asking.

Percival gave a smile and a nod. “Yeah, he gave me his address last night,”

“And how do we get there?” Owain asked, casting an eye around the group.

Arthur settled in his usual seat, saying nothing.

“Don’t think it would be a great idea to drive,” Leon said. His words were met with the noise of general agreement. Apparently, it was taken for granted that they would be drinking plenty at the party.

“Bus?” Percival suggested. “I’ll look up the route in my free period today,”

Again, there was a murmur of agreement. Arthur winced slightly to himself. He could not remember the last time he had used public transport. It was not something he was used to and definitely not something he was comfortable doing. However, his friends would be there and it seemed they were determined to push Arthur out of his comfort zone this weekend. 

“Thanks, buddy,” Leon added just as Mr Monmouth walked into the classroom. The chatter died down and registration began. 

Roughly ten minutes later everyone was leaving the room. Arthur felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to see Leon looking serious. 

“What’s up?” Arthur asked. 

“I know your father probably won’t be too happy about where you’re going tomorrow,” Leon said, his voice hushed. Arthur wondered if Percival had mentioned their conversation the day before. Arthur nodded slightly.

“I guess not,” he admitted.

“If you want to, come to mine first. We can get ready there. You can tell him we’re having a slumber party. Revising or whatever. I’ll invite the other guys too” 

Arthur smiled, showing his appreciation. “Cheers mate,”

“No problem, see you later,” and with that Leon hurried down the corridor, leaving Arthur alone once more.

Arthur’s insides squirmed. There were many times he had gone against his father’s wishes; bending the rules and twisting the truth but recently it seemed to be becoming a more common occurrence. He just hoped that Uther would not question Arthur’s sudden apparent interest in his studies. 

**

On Friday evenings, the Pendragons were expected to dine together. The staff were expected to prepare a meal in anticipation for Uther’s return from work. Uther’s children were expected to be present in the dining room, awaiting the arrival of their father. And then they would have a pleasant conversation about their week. Recently, however, the atmosphere had darkened considerably during the family meal. Morgana, it seemed, had found her tongue and began answering Uther back; debating with him and challenging his views. Of course, Uther did not take well to his authority being questioned and though Morgana and Uther never deteriorated into a full blown argument, the atmosphere was still strained. Conversation was littered with thinly veiled insults and jabs. Arthur had taken to eating his meal in silence, careful to make sure he was not picking sides. 

This Friday evening was no different; Arthur quietly picked at his food glancing between his father and his sister. Morgana stared defiantly ahead, jaw set, hardly touching the meal in front. Uther’s mouth had become a tight thin line and his eyes were hard. Arthur thought he was trying to hold back whatever he was thinking. The uncomfortable silence stretched over the dinner table and Arthur was relieved when the staff arrived to clear away their plates. He excused himself hurriedly and rushed to his room.

Arthur sat heavily on his bed and raked his hand through his hair. It was hard to pin point exactly the moment that Uther and Morgana had fallen out. Morgana had always been such a daddy’s girl and Arthur had sometimes been jealous of their relationship; day trips and presents and ice cream. Then Morgana had reached her teenage years and everything had changed. Her viewpoints altered and she no longer blindly followed Uther’s every word. She was becoming a young woman with her own ambitions and ideas. But Arthur knew that although she constantly bickered and argued with their father, all Morgana really wanted was his approval and support. Isn’t that what any child wants from their parent?

There was still a few hours before Arthur needed to go to bed. He pulled open his laptop, intending to work on his business studies coursework. The sooner he got it out of the way, the better. However, after only a few minutes, he found himself staring, unseeing at the screen. His mind was blank, all relevant information having escaped. He huffed to himself and slammed the lid shut again. 

His mind strayed to the party that was happening the following night. Arthur wondered what Uther’s reaction would be if he found out that Arthur was planning to go to a house party. Though, perhaps Uther would not be too bothered. When Percival had come back to the group with directions to Gwaine’s house, Arthur had realised that Gwaine actually lived in a decent part of town. Arthur had assumed, judging by Gwaine’s attitude and general appearance that the boy had come from one of the poorer areas of town. However, while he was still probably not as well off as the Pendragons, his family definitely had some money. Uther would probably deem it acceptable. Until he met him of course. 

Arthur pottered around his bedroom for a few more hours, listening to music, reading, attempting to revise. Nothing could hold his attention for more than a few minutes at a time and he was growing frustrated. Eventually, Arthur stripped off, leaving on only his underwear and climbed into bed. His eyes were heavy and his body tired. While nothing much had happened today, it had seemed a long day. Though somewhere, in the back of his mind Arthur was reluctant to close his eyes. He was reluctant to fall asleep. Images of those sparkling blue eyes danced around his mind. He just wished he knew what the dreams meant and why the plagued him so often. As the minutes dragged by, Arthur’s breathing slowly evened out and he fell into a deep sleep.

**

On Saturday morning, Arthur awoke slowly. He felt confused though he was unsure why. He blinked several times as the image of his bedroom swam into focus. Everything was the same. Though there was something different. Something was off. He shuffled himself into a sitting position and looked down. That’s when he realised. He was not drenched in sweat. His heart was not beating erratically and threatening to burst from his ribcage. There was not the usual feeling of panic rising in his chest. For the first time in ages, Arthur had not dreamt about running, or about foul creatures, or even about mysterious strangers. He felt relieved, but at the same time there was something else. Disappointment maybe? He sat still for a few moments before swinging his legs around and jumping out of bed.

The morning passed much like the previous night. Arthur tried to entertain himself but found his mind unable to focus. While wondering around the house he had bumped into Morgana. She had been on her way out to spend the weekend with her mother and her half-sister Morgause.

“I’ll see you later,” she muttered as she opened the front door. Arthur had shot her a puzzled look. Seeing his face she let out a tinkling laugh before elaborating “At Gwaine’s” 

“Ah, yes,” he nodded, keeping his voice low just in case Uther was lurking around the corner. “Have a good time,”

Arthur had then padded to Uther’s study, lightly knocking on the door. He pushed the door open slowly. Uther was sat at the large desk, his brow furrowed as he studied a mound of paperwork.

“Sorry to interrupt father,” Arthur began. 

Uther looked up, barely concealing a sigh at being interrupted. “Yes?”

“I just wanted to ask permission to go to Leon’s house this afternoon. He has invited me to stay the night so we can get a headstart on our coursework,” Arthur explained, trying not to let the words tumble out of his mouth.

Uther nodded and Arthur expected he was only half listening. “Of course,”

Arthur smiled and closed the door behind him. He went to his room to pack his overnight bag. Carefully he placed a fresh pair of jeans and a button down shirt in the bottom, covering them up with his pyjamas and toiletries. He did not want his father to ask any questions if he noticed the spare clothes. Why would he need a shirt if he was only going to study? As an afterthought he also grabbed a couple of text books and shoved them into the top of the bag. Best to keep up appearances. 

A couple of hours later, Arthur waited by the front door, anticipating the arrival of Percival. His mother had agreed to pick up Arthur, Owain and Pellinore on their way to Leon's house.

Upon seeing the sleek silver car pull up Arthur flung the door open and called good bye to whoever was left in the house. Again, he wasn't sure what staff were left. Arthur's stomach flipped in a strange mix of nerves and excitement. He was breaking the rules; lying to his father and going to a party he wasn't sure he wanted to go to. Hosted by a boy he wasn't sure he actually liked. 

He bounded to the car finding it already full. Pellinore was in the process of shuffling into the middle seat and Arthur squeezed in beside him. He greeted everyone, a little unsure what to say. He didn't know whether Percival's mother knew about the party or not. 

Throughout the journey there was some general chit chat. Mostly about school and about football. Leon's house was only five minutes away. The car pulled up in front of the large drive way.

"Here we are. Have fun boys," Percival's mother beamed at her passengers. 

There was a chorus of "Thank you Mrs Armstrong" and one loud "cheers mum" as the boys scrambled to get out of the car. They raced up Leon's driveway, each trying not to look too eager.

Upon reaching the front door, Arthur reached out and rang the door bell. the door opened almost instantly to reveal a grinning Leon. Arthur wondered if he had been waiting for them in the hallway. Percival turned and waved to his mother. She waited for the boys to enter the house before pulling away as if she thought the gang were going to go AWOL in between her car and Leon's front door. 

The group of friends made their way upstairs and into Leon's bedroom. Leon hit play on an iPod that was docked on his desk. A steady beat filled the room. They each settled around the room; Leon lounging on the bed with Percival perched at the bottom next to his feet. Owain took a seat on the floor, resting his back against the bed. Pellinore sunk into a bean bag chair that was facing a large TV. Arthur was left with the computer chair, tapping his fingers to the music as he swiveled around. 

Leading up to this moment, Arthur had felt apprehensive. This was unlike him. House parties were not his scene; mostly because he had never attended one. Always too afraid of his father's wrath. But seeing the smiles on his friends faces as they talked animatedly had a strange relaxing effect. Perhaps this was what he was looking for. Time with his friends, not being dictated by his father's expectations or under the close scrutiny of teachers. Perhaps this weekend he could finally just be himself. Whatever that was. 

Arthur dragged his attention back to the conversation going on around him.

"It's going to be amazing," Pellinore was saying "Everyone is going to be there,"

"Vivian was telling her cronies that it's going to be party of the year," Owain chimed in.

"Yeah, well you know what Vivian's like," Leon smirked. "Blows everything way out of proportion,"

"Blows everything more like," Percival said, without missing a beat. 

There was a series of chuckles. Arthur kept his mouth firmly shut. Uther and Vivian's father had been close friends resulting in Arthur and Vivian having to endure many play dates together when they were younger. Vivian was extremely attractive (and Arthur had to begrudgingly admit he had had a major crush on her when they were 15) but she had all the personality of a rotten trout.

"I don't know," Owain spoke up, a knowing smile on his face. "I don't think Arthur ever got very far with her,"

Arthur gave an exaggerated fake shudder. "Lucky escape that one. I swear she put some kind of spell on me,"

Laughter filled the room. The air crackled with excitement, causing the boys to giggle giddily.

"What about that Sophia then?" Pellinore asked.

"Pretty face but fucking psycho," Arthur replied. His response was met by a series of chuckles.

"Wait, what happened?" Percival asked.

"Don't you remember?" Leon said, a teasing twinkle in his eye. "She pushed Arthur in the lake,"

"Yep. One minute we were snogging, the next I was wet through and covered in pond weed," Arthur explained. Looking back now, it was funny but at the time it had been a terrifying and bewildering experience. Arthur still hadn't quite worked out what he had done to upset Sophia so much.

"Were you that bad?" Percival said, a smile tugging at his lips.

Arthur shrugged. "Must have been,"

The conversation turned to what girls were going to be at the party and whether or not any of the guys thought they might pull. Arthur let his mind wonder, trying to think of any girls he might like to talk to tonight. However, his thoughts were repeatedly invaded by a pair of deep blue eyes staring up at him. Arthur gave hisbhead a little shake as if to rid himself of the image. He gave up trying to think and instead focussed on attempting to nod in what he hoped were all the right places.

"What about Morgana? She's pretty fit," Pellinore said, causing Arthur to tune back into the conversation.

"Oi! That's my sister!" He said, feigning anger.

"Yes she is," Pellinore replied "but she's got amazing tits" 

Arthur gave a surprised laugh and lightly punched his friend's arm. "I don't care how amazing her tits are. She's off limits to all of you perverts,"

Arthur glanced around the room as if daring any of his friends to protest. He was met with good natured smiles. His eyes settled on Leon who grinned widely before turning away. Arthur was unsure but he thought that perhaps just for a second Leon had been blushing. 

The five friends chatted a while longer about their expectations of the night. How much booze would there be? What music would be playing? Who would hook up with who? They ordered a curry from the local take-away and Leon managed to persuade his parents to let them have a can of larger each. Once the food and drink was finished the boys set about getting changed into the spare outfits they had brought with them.

**

"Ugh. Never again," Arthur exclaimed as they got off the bus a street away from the address Gwaine had given them. 

Arthur could not remember the last time he had used the bus. For that he was glad. This journey had seen Arthur sat behind an older gentleman that smelled distinctly of stale beer and piss. He sat muttering something to himself that Arthur could not quite make out, though he thought perhaps he was better off not knowing. At the front on the bus there was a young woman, pointedly ignoring the sticky, screaming child strapped in the pushchair she was rocking with increasing force. Instead she screamed down her mobile phone; a conversation that any rational human being would have attempted to conduct in private. ("Yeah well you're a twat for fucking my sister,")

Percival had attempted to convince Arthur that all bus journeys were not as bad but Arthur was not convinced. 

Turning onto the street that Gwaine lived, Arthur was quite taken aback. It was obvious which house was Gwaine's; it was the one pumping out loud music and heavy basslines. The house itself was large and painted an off-white colour. The garden was immaculate and neatly trimmed bushes lined a long gravel driveway. Arthur couldn't help but think it wouldn't stay this way for long. 

The five walked up the driveway. Arthur found himself holding his breath in anticipation, wondering what was behind that door. He couldn't believe that he was lying to his father. A brief surge of panic flooded Arthur's body; what if Uther found out he'd lied. There were going to be plenty of people here. It wasn't unreasonable to think that word would somehow get back to Uther. The thoughts were pushed from Arthur's mind as Leon raised a fist to knock on the door. It swung open before his knuckles had connected to reveal a grinning Gwaine.

"Hey guys!" He shouted "glad you could make it. Drinks are in the kitchen"

Gwaine pointed vaguely behind him and ushered them inside. Inside the house the music was much louder. A song that Arthur did not recognise with a fast and heavy beat. He found himself wanting to tap his toes in time to the music despite the fact he could barely hear himself think. Gwaine directed the gang to the kitchen and set them each up with a drink before disappearing off through one of the adjoining doors. 

Arthur found himself with a rum and coke in his hand, leaning against the counter. He wasn't sure what to do. He'd seen plenty of films all full of drinking and dancing and sex but it seemed that most people were idling around attempting to hear each other over the music. He mentioned this to Percival who was stood by his side.

"The night is young Arthur, give it chance," Percival clapped him on the shoulder. 

The five friends found their way into the back garden. It was quieter out here and they were able to chat happily as they cradled their drinks. Gwaine flitted about inbetween groups, ensuring everybody had a drink in their hand, broadly grinning at everyone. Arthur recognised a lot of people from school. Some came up to say hi and to join the conversation. Arthur was surprised however at how many people he didn't recognise. Friends from Gwaine's previous school before Camelot. Arthur shouldn't really be surprised. He had noticed before how people seemed to gravitate towards Gwaine even if Arthur himself didn't quite see the attraction. 

Time passed, the group laughing and joking. At one point they all got up and had a bit of a dance. It was difficult to pin point which part of the night the atmosphere changed. The garden filled with more people, a large amount staggering and slurring their words. It was steadily becoming more rowdy as the flow of alcohol loosened lips and shed people of their inhibitions. Arthur watched in mild amusement as people stumbled down the garden path. 

"I'm going to get a refill," Leon announced, waving his empty cup at Arthur. Arthur glanced around. It appeared Percival, Pellinore and owain had broken away leaving the two of them alone. 

"I'll come with you," Arthur said, draining the last few dreggs of his drink. He got up, swaying slightly. 

Entering the kitchen, a familiar voice reached Arthur's ears.

"There you are brother. I wondered where you had gotten to," 

Arthur turned to see Morgana leaning against the counter. Somehow she had managed to find a wine glass despite the fact that Gwaine was handing out plastic beakers. 

"Same again?" Leon asked, nodding at Arthur's cup. He nodded and Leon. Busied himself with the drinks.

"You obviously didn't look very far," Arthur said teasingly. "I've been in the garden all night,"

Morgana gave a noncommittal shrug. "Arthur, I'd like you to meet my friend,"

For the first time Arthur realised that they were not alone in the kitchen. There was a girl stood a few feet away in the corner of the room. With a flip of his stomach Arthur realised that it was Morgana's opponent from the netball match.

"This is Guenivere," Morgana announced.

"Actually, most people call me Gwen," the girl said, almost apologetically as if she was embarrassed to correct Morgana. 

"Pleased to meet you," Arthur said, extending his arm. "I'm Arthur," 

Gwen smiled warmly and shook his hand. Arthur felt a sudden wave of guilt over his shower time fantasy that morning. He had no idea that Morgana was actually friendly with anyone from rival schools. Or friends with anyone in fact. 

"I saw you play the other day," Arthur said attempting to rid himself of the images threatening to invade his mind. "You're very good,"

Gwen smiled, looking a little flustered. "Not as good as your sister though," she said shyly. 

Arthur shook his head. "Morgana wins by intimidation," he said, ignoring Morgana's shocked face. 

His comment was met by a quiet laugh from Gwen. "I'm sure that's not true,"

At that point Leon approached and pushed Arthur's drink into his hand. Arthur accepted gratefully, glad to be able to do something with his hands. 

"Please excuse me," Gwen said after a few moments of quiet. Sensing the confused looks from Arthur and Leon she added "Loo," before she hurried off.

"Beautiful isn't she?" Morgana said. If Arthur wasnt mistaken, there was a sly look in her eyes.

"She certainly is attractive," Arthur admitted.

"Such a shame she's got a boyfriend," with that Morgana let out a tinkling laugh and exited the room.

Arthur became very aware of Leon's eyes on the side of his head. "Shut your mouth,"

"I didn't say anything," Leon protested.

"I know what you were thinking," Arthur said, taking a large gulp of his drink. 

Gwen had a boyfriend. Arthur was unsure how he felt about that. There was no denying he was very attracted to her. He wondered if it was one of the boys that had been cheering her on at the match. There had been a couple of them. He wondered if maybe Gwen's boyfriend was the blue eyed boy. The boy that plagued Arthur's dreams and was quickly invading his conscious mind as well. 

Arthur felt his heart speed up. What if he was here tonight? If Gwen was here it was possible her friends were here too. Arthur didn't know how to feel at the prospect of finally meeting the stranger from his dreams. Maybe it was best to stay well away. He didn't want everyone thinking he was some kind of nut job. without realising what he was doing Arthur downed his drink.

"Hey, you okay buddy?" Leon asked.

"Fine," Arthur grunted, pouring himself another drink.

Leon shot him a skeptical look. Arthur knew what this looked like. It looked like he was sulking because he found out the girl he was eyeing was taken. He wasn't about to put Leon right. How could he admit that he was freaking out because there was a very strong possibility the man from his dreams was here. Leon would think him insane. Perhaps he was.

Eventually Leon shrugged. "I'm going to find the others,"

"I'll catch you up," Arthur said. He needed a moment to think.

"You sure?"

"I'm fine. Go on," Arthur smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way. Leon nodded and left, shooting one last worried look at his friend. 

Arthur breathed out, resting his hands on the counter. He took a large gulp of his drink. What was he going to do? His best bet was to act natural, he decided. To mingle and to dance and to drink. If he came face to face with the mysterious stranger he would smile and nod and maybe even say hi. He would not freak out.

Arthur entered what he thought was the dining room. The furniture had been pushed to the edges of the room. It was full of people dancing; jumping and sweating and singing along to the music. He felt someone tugging on his arm and came face to face with Mithian, one of Morgana's team mates. Once upon a time Arthur and Mithian had dated. It only took them a couple of weeks to decide that they didn't quiet work as boyfriend and girlfriend but they had remained fairly good friends. Mithian pulled him close, grabbing hold of his hands and forcing him to dance.

"Arthuuurrrrr!" She cried, beaming as she jumped about in front of him. 

"Hey Mith," he forced a smile and let her pull him about. "You having a good night?"

"The best!" Mithian beamed, shouting over the top of the music.

Arthur danced with Mithian for a couple more songs before leaning close "I better go to find Leon. He'll wonder where I got to,"

Mithian pouted playfully but nodded. She turned, instantly recognising someone else and pulling them towards her.

Arthur smiled to himself and turned away. He was glad everyone was enjoying themselves. He had to admit the party was decent, though it was spoiled by the anxieties dancing around constantly in the back of his mind. He breathed in heavily, determined to push the worries away. He would have a good time.

He scanned the room, looking for other people he may know. There were plenty of faces he recognised, alongside plenty he didn't. His eyes landed on Gwaine dancing alone in the middle of the room. He was holding a cup in each hand, both of which looked dangerously close to spilling as he spun around, singing along to the unfamiliar song at the top of his lungs. As Arthur watched, he wondered if maybe he should have given Gwaine more of a chance when they met. That he may come across a bit cocky and a bit top eager but overall he was probably a decent guy.

On that thought Arthur decided to make his way over to the host. He began walking but was suddenly cut off by someone rushing past him. For a moment, Arthur lost his balance, his head spinning. Regaining his composure, Arthur turned his attention back to Gwaine. The stranger that had cut him off had relieved Gwaine of one of his drinks. His hands were slung around around the host's neck, dancing ridiculously close. Bodies pressed together, giggling and grinding together. 

Perhaps now was not the best time to start a conversation with Gwaine. He seemed totally preoccupied with the rude stranger. Arthur studied him, eyes narrowed. He was tall and thin with an untidy mop of dark hair. His skin was pale. Arthur was suddenly very aware of his heart hammering against his ribcage, the sound of blood rushing in his ears. It couldn't be. He was not prepared for this. Arthur walked forward, heading towards the door. He needed some fresh air but try as he might, Arthur could not pull his attention away from the boy that was draped over Gwaine. 

Suddenly, the boy turned, pressing his back up against his dancing partner. Arthur found himself gazing directly into a pair of deep blue eyes. Time stood still. Panic flared up inside him. His chest was tight. What was he supposed to do now? This was the second time the familiar stranger had caught him staring. If he wasn't careful, Arthur would get a reputation as a stalker. Seconds dragged by as the two boys looked at each other. Arthur realised that the dark haired boy had stopped dancing. Gwaine was looking at his partner, concern evident in his eyes. 

Arthur clamped his eyes shut. When he opened them again, the boy had turned away and the world had started moving again. Arthur hastily retreated into the garden, only stopping off in the kitchen to pour himself a large drink.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the night before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody! Thanks for the positive response so far. Apologies again for how long this has taken. I hope the wait is worth it.
> 
> Again, this was written and posted from my phone. I've done my best to proof read but please let me know about any formatting errors or anything.
> 
> I look forward to finding out what everyone thinks.

Chapter Three

He was running. Stumbling as his feet slid up the side of a grassy bank. Mud squelched around his toes. It was only then he realised that his feet were bare. He must have left his shoes behind in his panic. Rain spattered across his face, obscuring his vision. 

He scrambled to the top of the bank but lost his footing, sliding backwards in slow motion. His heavy chainmail wasn't helping. Why was he wearing that anyway? He crawled back to the top, aware that he was wasting valuable time. He could hear a screech somewhere over his shoulder, steadily growing louder as his pursuer gained on him.

He stumbled again. The world around him spun. He was falling. He closed his eyes.

Arthur's head was pounding, his stomach churning. His mouth was dry and tasted foul. He laid still, not daring to open his eyes. He became aware of a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him. Reluctantly Arthur opened his eyes, squinting as the light caused the pounding in his head to intensify. Somewhere above him hovered a pair of deep blue eyes, full of uncertainty.

"You okay?" The stranger asked. 

Arthur's brow furrowed. That was strange. This was not how it went. This was the part where he woke up with a start, panting and covered in sweat. This was supposed to be the end of the dream. That was how it went; he was being chased, he was rescued, he woke up, he carried on with his life. There was never any talking.

Arthur groaned and propped himself up on one arm. He was laying on a soft, thick carpet. Slowly, his surroundings came into view. He realised he was sprawled across Gwaine's living room floor. He was no longer dreaming. And crouched above him was....

Arthur sat up quickly and scrambled back, causing the other boy to topple backwards onto his arse.

The dark haired boy looked annoyed for a split second before regaining his composure.

"Are you alright?" He repeated, a slight edge to his voice.

Arthur's head whirled. This couldn't be happening.

"I'm fine," he replied, voice perhaps a little harsher than intended.

"You looked like you were having a bad dream," the boy explained.

What was Arthur supposed to say to that? 'hello, my name is Arthur and I suffer from reoccurring nightmares in which you constantly show up and save my arse,' somehow he did not think that would go well.

"I said I'm fine," Arthur said firmly. He did not know what he would do if the boy asked about his nightmare.

The boy sighed "fine," he got up and turned abruptly, muttering something under his breath.

"What did you just say?" Arthur demanded before he could stop himself.

The boy stopped in the door way and turned to face Arthur. There was a smile on his lips but it did not reach his eyes which were hard and humourless. 

"I said I wouldn't have bothered if I knew you were such a prat," he said before exiting the room, leaving Arthur speechless.

Arthur stared at the doorway for a few seconds, trying to process what had just happened. Maybe he was still dreaming.

He let his head fall back onto the floor and closed his eyes. This was too weird. The star of Arthur's dreams had somehow materialised in the real world. 

Arthur was vaguely aware of several other people scattered across the room. Soft snoring filled the air. It seemed no one was awake to witness the exchange between Arthur and the blue eyed boy. Had the boy been sleeping in here too? Had Arthur woken him with his whimpering and kicking as he dreamed? Suddenly Arthur felt very self conscious. Perhaps even a tiny bit guilty. 

Arthur laid for a few minutes before becoming extremely aware of his bladder. He sighed to himself and experimentally stood up. His head spun a little and his stomach flipped a couple of times but after a few seconds he was able to make his way to the door. He wondered down the corridor in search of the nearest toilet.

"When did you make friends with such prats?" Arthur heard the voice coming from a room further down the corridor. The owner seemed to be making no attempt to be quiet. 

"What's happened?" A second voice answered. There was a slight teasing tone. Arthur recognised it as belonging to Gwaine. 

"I was trying to be friendly and helpful and he bit my fucking head off," the first voice said. Arthur could almost imagine the boy crossing him arms protectively against his tight black T-shirt, his jaw clenched.

"Merl, what did you do?" Gwaine asked, his voice still teasing.

"Nothing!" The boy answered, his voice raising an octave. 

"We all know how much you like getting into trouble," 

Arthur hesitated wondering if he should really be listening to this. They were talking about him, he was certain. Surely he was entitled to know what was being said about him. All thoughts of his full bladder vanished.

"Who was it?" Gwaine was asking.

"I dunno. Blond guy. Typical jock I reckon," 

Arthur could practically hear the smile in Gwaine's voice "Arthur Pendragon. Yeah, he is kind of a prat,"

Arthur felt his jaw clench. He had a mind to storm in there and give both Gwaine and his friend a telling off. Before he could react however, Gwaine was talking again. "But deep down he's a good guy. He might not always show it but Arthur's kind of decent,"

There was a noise that sounded as if the other boy was scoffing at Gwaine's words.  
Arthur wasn't sure he wanted to hear any more of the conversation. He was grateful that Gwaine had stuck up for him in a round about way. 

"If you say so," the boy said. There was a hint of stubbornness in his voice; a far cry from the image of the mysterious, brave, kind stranger from Arthur's dreams.

"Even if he's not, Arthur's good looking enough to get away with it," Gwaine said. Arthur was a little taken aback by the comment but he could imagine Gwaine's teasing smile and the ever present mischief reflecting in his eyes and knew better than to take it too seriously. Even so, Arthur found himself subconsciously running a hand through his hair. It took a few moments for Arthur to realise that the room had gone quiet. 

Suddenly a loud roar came through the doorway. "Oh my God. Don't tell me you fancy him!" Gwaine was laughing. 

"Don't be ridiculous,"

"You do! Little Merlin loves Arthur!" 

Arthur was split between wishing he could see inside the room and wishing he had not heard this conversation at all. To see the look on Gwaine and the other boys face. To gauge his reaction. Gwaine had called him Merlin. At least now Arthur could put a name to the face.  
On the other hand, he wanted nothing more than to slink away and pretend he had never heard a word. To ignore the butterflies dancing in his stomach and the racing of his heart.

"You're being silly Gwaine. I could never love a pompous prat like that," Merlin said. 

"Your ears are going red," Gwaine replied. His laughter had died down now but Arthur was sure he was still grinning infuriatingly. 

"They are not!"

"They are and I'll tell you why," 

"Hmm? Why?"

"Because you want his cock in your mouth," Gwaine let out another loud laugh. 

Arthur didn't stick around to head Merlin's reply as he was suddenly aware of muffled footsteps heading towards the door. He definitely did not want to be caught eavesdropping. Particularly with the turn the conversation had taken. He hurried away, locating a bathroom a few doors down. He slipped inside and slid the lock across, letting out a sigh of relief as he did. 

Arthur quickly relieved himself into the toilet before sinking down onto the seat and leaning his head against the cool tile of the wall. It felt marvelous, soothing the throbbing of his head. He let his eyes flutter shut.

He couldn't remember much of the previous night. He remembered meeting Gwen, dancing with Mithian and then locking eyes with the mysterious stranger. With Merlin. He remembered the subsequent panic and downing more alcohol than perhaps was wise. The rest of the night however was a blur of colours and music and tastes.

The taste in his mouth was bitter. It was dry and felt like he hadn't cleaned his teeth for a week. He ran his tongue over his teeth and grimaced. They felt coated. He desperately wished he had brought a toothbrush with him. It dawned upon him slowly that the awful taste was not only morning mouth, but also there was a hint of vomit. The memory came rushing back; his face in this very toilet bowl as he emptied the contents of his stomach into it. The thought made his stomach churn again. There had been someone with him. Someone rubbing his back, moving his fringe out of the way, offering him small sips from a cup of water. Arthur had expected his comforter to be Leon, or perhaps Percival but he was slightly taken aback to realise it had been Merlin.

Arthur's mind spun. Why did Merlin keep popping up all over the place? 

"You feeling any better, buddy?" Merlin had asked, voice low and concerned, once it became apparent that Arthur had finished heaving.

Arthur had nodded, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Merlin offered Arthur the rest of the water. He had snatched it away, taking frequent tiny sips in an attempt to settle his stomach. 

"Do you always end up in such a state?" Merlin asked. There had been a small smile playing on his lips and Arthur realised that he wasn't being unkind.

Arthur shrugged. "I never usually drink,"

"That explains it then," Merlin wobbled slightly as he sat on the floor next to Arthur. Arthur leaned his head onto Merlin's shoulder. 

"Thank you for looking after me," he mumbled.

"Someone's got to," Merlin smiled again, placing his arm around Arthur's shoulder and pulling him closer. "Seen as all of your mates have bummed off. I couldn't leave you alone to pass out in a pool of vomit, could I?"

Arthur shrugged. "A lot of people would,"

"I'm not a lot of people,"

Before Arthur realised what he was doing he had leaned up, pressing his lips against Merlin's. It was a sweet, chaste kiss that lasted only a second before Arthur had realised what he was doing and hastily pulled away.

"Gross," he mumbled, looking at the floor. His comment was met by shocked silence.

"No that came out wrong. You're not gross. I'm gross. I'm gross for doing that. For doing that with a sicky mouth I mean," Arthur attempted to explain, realising that he had probably confused and offended Merlin in one blow.

To his surprise, when Arthur chanced a glance towards his companion he was giggling to himself.

"Come on, let's get out of here. There's probably a huge queue by now,"

Arthur couldn't remember much after that either. Only that the boy had then helped Arthur into the living room. That was where Arthur had fallen to sleep. He wondered if Merlin had slept next to him. Exactly how close had they been? And exactly how much did Merlin remember? 

Sighing to himself, Arthur managed to muster enough energy to stand up. His head spun but he stayed standing. He took a cool drink of water from the tap, gradually starting to feel more alert, but also more apprehensive of what was to come. 

A slight buzzing came from Arthur's pocket. With a jolt, he realised Leon was phoning him.

"Where are you?" Leon asked, voice slightly panicked.

"Bathroom," Arthur answered shortly.

"Oh thank god. Thought we'd lost you. I did not want to be the one to break the news to your father," 

"Chill. I'm fine. Just a little worse for wear. Where are you?"

"Kitchen. Gwaine's making breakfast," 

"I'll be two minutes," Arthur hung up and pocketed his phone. He tried not to think about who else might be in the kitchen. He was unsure whether he would be able to stomach breakfast. Or whether his head could stand the noise of a handful of excited and chattering teenagers. Or if his mind could take another run in with Merlin without his brain breaking causing any further freakouts or strange behaviour. 

***

As it turned out there was only a handful of people in the kitchen; Leon, Percival, Owain and Pellinore sat around the island counter. Mithian sat alone at the kitchen table, nursing a mug full of coffee. Gwen and a guy Arthur did not know leant sleepily against the wall. Gwaine was happily bouncing about, frying pan in one hand and coffee jug in the other. He had donned a pale pink apron with a small flower on the chest. Arthur was glad to see that Merlin was nowhere to be seen. 

Arthur took a stool opposite Owain and next to Percival; the only remaining seat. 

"How's the head, buddy?" Leon asked as Gwaine shoved a mug into Arthur's hands. He surveyed the dark liquid inside, the aroma of coffee perking him up slightly. Arthur shrugged, unwilling to admit just how persistent the pain echoing around his head truly was. Not only that, but the memory of last night and the overheard conversation this morning sent his head spinning in a completely different way. Arthur did not want to talk about the state of his head. 

He took a sip of the coffee. "Everyone have a good night?"

There was a chorus of affirmative noises which were followed by various tales of what everyone had been up to. 

Yet again, Arthur found himself tuning out of the conversation. It was becoming increasingly common recently. His mind strayed to the fragmented memories of the night before. Worrying about just how much Merlin could remember. He had definitely been drunk but had not been in the same state that Arthur had. Arthur took another gulp of coffee, the hot liquid burning on the way down. 

Perhaps that was why Merlin had been so quick to anger this morning. What did it matter anyway? Arthur doubted that their paths would cross again.

Apart from every night in his dreams. Arthur suppressed a groan. This was beyond fucked up. 

Arthur made an effort to pay attention to the conversation around him. Pellinore was eagerly telling the kitchen about how he had walked in on two girls in one of the spare bedrooms while looking for a place to crash. At some point Gwaine had delivered a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs to Arthur.

"What happened to you last night? You seemed to disappear into thin air," Gwen's voice cut across the room. Arthur started as he realised she was talking to him. 

Arthur eyed the room, deciding that he would rather not share his memories of the previous night with all of the occupants. Again he gave a shrug. 

"Last thing I remember was dancing with Mithian," he said. Mithian gave a small grunt at her name, but remained transfixed on her coffee. "After that it's a bit of a blur,"

Gwen gave a small smile. The boys, Arthur was sure, we smirking while they playfully mutterer about Arthur being unable to hold his drink.

"I wanted to introduce you to Lance," she continued gesturing to the boy beside her. Arthur noticed Lance's arm circling Gwen's waist. Arthur nodded in acknowledgement, "Alright, mate?"

He spoke to Gwen and Lance a while, thankful that the conversation had been stirred away from what he was doing the night before. Thankful that he had a distraction from the thought that was forever circling his mind: he had kissed a boy. 

Lance seemed a pretty chill guy. As it turned out Lance and Arthur shared many of the same interests. Apparently Lance had applied for Camelot Sixth Form but had been turned away. Arthur felt guilty for thinking that the rejection had something to do with Lance's social status; the guy was extremely intelligent and apparently a pro on the football field. In fact, he seemed pretty much perfect. 

While Gwen and Lance were both very likeable, they were one of those sickening, lovey-dovey couples, forever rubbing noses and pecking each other on the cheek. Complimenting each other and flirting. It made Arthur feel a little queasy and therefore he was glad when Leon called over that they were leaving.

"We'll have to have a kick about some time," Lance said as Arthur made to leave.

Arthur nodded in agreement. "Wicked,"

***

The group found themselves back at Leon's house that afternoon. They had intended to study for a while before heading back home but instead books lay discarded on the floor as the boys found themselves engrossed in a marathon of bad horror films. 

After several hours of making fun of the terrible acting and low budget special effects, Arthur decided it was time to head home. His headache had significantly lessened and churning stomach had slowed down. He had no doubt he still looked rough but thought he was able to get away with telling his father that he'd had trouble sleeping. It wasn't really a lie. Between vomiting in the bathroom, passing out in the living room and being woken from his nightmare, Arthur probably hadn't got that much sleep. Not that he really wanted to think much about his drunken antics. 

Arthur bid farewell to his friends and walked home. He thought the fresh air might do him good. Clear his head and blow away the cobwebs. 

Upon arriving home, Arthur slipped straight upstairs, intending on having a shower. He wanted to wash away last night's sweat. Perhaps then he would finally feel human once more. 

"Brother!" As Arthur emerged onto the upstairs landing his half-sister's voice rang out. It always puzzled him how Morgana seemed to have a sixth sense for where he was.

He sighed to himself. He guessed his shower would wait a few minutes for whatever Morgana wanted. He popped his head around her bedroom door.

Morgana was sat at her desk, flawless as ever. Even with her hair tied in a messy ponytail and her reading glasses on Morgana managed to be effortlessly beautiful. She was focussed on something on her laptop screen, one eyebrow raised in interest.

"Yeah?" Arthur asked after a few seconds of quiet.

"Have you checked Facebook today?" She asked. Her voice was serious, devoid of it's usual teasing tone.

Arthur shook his head. "Been at Leon's all morning,"

"You might want to look. There's some quite interesting photos from last night," she said, setting her reading glasses down and looking at Arthur properly. She seemed to be studying his face, trying to read Arthur's reaction to her words.

Arthur's head whirled. The churning in his stomach was back with a vengeance though Arthur suspected that this time it was nothing to do with the alcohol. Judging by Morgana's tone he could guess what he would see when he logged in. Something he wanted to forget, something he was trying to persuade himself had never happened. But now everyone would know and he thought no one would be willing to let him forget.

Arthur drew a deep breath. He told himself it wasn't as bad as what he was thinking. He nodded towards Morgana and went to his own room. He booted up his own computer. His home page was set to Facebook. He could see it, the red little notification icon. He hovered the cursor over the icon, mind racing at what he was about to see. 

Seconds dragged by. Still Arthur could not click. He did not dare scroll down either. He was paralysed by anxiety. The anxiety of what everyone would think of him. What people would be saying. Photo evidence suddenly made everything real. Arthur made a split second decision, slamming the laptop shut. This could wait. He was going to have a shower.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note to warn for homophobic language and attitudes throughout this chapter.
> 
> Thank you to all who have left comments, subscribed and bookmarked so far. It really means a lot to me and spurs me on to write faster. I look forward to seeing what people think of this chapter. As always, this has been proof read several times but if anyone notices any errors please don't hesitate to let me know. I welcome any constructive criticism anyone may have. Enjoy!

He was running. His feet slapping were against the cobblestone. The sharp coldness of the stone was stinging his feet. He was sure that if he looked gravel and grit would be embedded within the sole of his foot. But he didn't care. All he cared about was running. Running from what was chasing him. Escaping from the constant terror and pressure that was his life. 

He could hear voices. The shouts were slurred and nonsensical but they were definitely aimed at him. They definitely sounded angry. He didn't want to think what would happen if the owners of the voices caught up with him but the images flashed before his eyes. They would beat him, whip him, and throw him in gaol. They would hang him, burn him on the pyre or throw him bound and gagged into the lake. The images spurred him on and he pressed on harder and faster. The muscles in his legs burned as did his lungs. He wasn't sure how much longer he could carry on. 

The mob pressed ever closer. He was suddenly aware of pitchforks and burning torches. The shouts grew louder, more aggressive. He took a sharp left, hoping to confuse the crowd. Too late he realised he had ran straight into a dead end. The roar of voices grew louder still, almost unbearable. He clamped his eyes shut, hands placed firmly over his ears. 

"Shut up!" He yelled "Go away!"

Out of nowhere a pair of arms snaked around his torso. He struggled slightly but the grip was firm. The arms were strong and warm and strangely comforting. He realised that the roar of the crowd had melted away. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The mob was gone. 

The arms loosened their grip and he turned to see who was holding him. He was met by a familiar pair of incredibly blue eyes. The usual concerned expression he associated with those features however was replaced by an infuriatingly sexy smirk.

Arthur woke up gasping. His hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat. He stuck unpleasantly to the sheets. His heart thumped loudly against his ribcage. The events of the dream swam around his head. It had started off normal; being chased and the sense of impending doom. Then things had gotten a little weird. Dream-Merlin had never been that close or physical before. He'd never been that attractive before. Arthur had always admired his appearance but never had he felt drawn this way towards the man in his dreams. 

Arthur glanced down at the large bulge straining persistently against his boxers. This was strange. Even more so now he could finally put a name to the face. He felt wrong and guilty but he had never before so strongly wanted to feel someone's fingers against his skin, someone's lips against his. To have his lips wrapped firmly around... no. Arthur shook his head. He was obviously just feeling confused about the events at Gwaine's party. 

He did not fancy men. Least of all Merlin with his too big ears and his body that looked to be made entirely of knees and those soft, plump lips and ridiculously blue eyes. Arthur flipped himself over and buried his head in the pillow. He wished that he was not awake. He did not want to deal with this. His mind strayed back to the smirk plastered on dream-Merlin's lips and he decided it was probably best that he had woken when he did. 

He lay in bed a few moments longer, carefully thinking about anything that wasn't Merlin. He thought about school, he thought about his father, he thought about Morgana. Thinking about Morgana and her smug smile stirred a memory at the back of Arthur's mind. 

He shot out of bed and snapped open his laptop. It was still switched on, the Facebook banner taunting him. The red notification icon sat smugly, daring Arthur to click on it. He stared at it unblinking, his finger hovering above the button. How bad could it really be? He clicked the notification icon.

'Vivian has tagged you in a photo', and 'Cenred, Vivian and 23 other people commented on a photo you are tagged in,' stood out amongst several notifications about people 'liking' his posts or commenting on his wall. He could see the thumbnail of the picture. His stomach tightened slightly. It wasn't as bad as it could have been but it was bad enough.

The picture was slightly blurred, no doubt as Vivian drunkenly giggled as she took the snapshot. However there was no denying that the subject of the photo was indeed Arthur. Arthur and Merlin. Merlin was not tagged in the photo, obviously not being on Vivian's friend list. 

Arthur was curled up in a ball on Gwaine's living room floor. His mouth slightly open. His hair was stuck up in a million different directions. Merlin's body was draped around Arthur's as if some sort of protective shield. The big spoon to Arthur's little spoon. Merlin's face was nestled in the back of Arthur's neck and he had one leg hitched up and wrapped around Arthur's. Arthur's breath hitched for a second as he realised that Merlin's arm curled around Arthur's stomach. His shirt was slightly ridden up and their fingers intertwined just above the waistband of Arthur's jeans. 

Arthur dreaded to think what the comments would say. He hoped that it would mainly be making fun of his drunken state but he felt perhaps that was a little too optimistic.

He scrolled down. The first comment was Cenred; a friend of Morgause in the year above Arthur. He was big and handsome and had a reputation for being a bit of a brute. Arthur was unsurprised therefore when he read what was written.

_Cenred Mercia: who'd have thort Pendragon was a fukin faggot?_

_Vivian 'Lady' Briosque: haha ;)_

 

The following few comments came from miscellaneous school friends with various ways of mocking Arthur's sexuality. 

_Balin Savage: Haha Arthur you massive queer!_

He thought perhaps a majority was supposed to be joking but it didn't stop the anxiety that was building up in his stomach. 

As he scrolled down Arthur came across a comment that made him pause, 

_Gwaine Orkney: knock it off guys, he was off his face. Probably doesn't even remember this happening._

The response however made Arthur grit his teeth.

_Cenred Mercia: Ye wel they say drunken actions r sober thorts pmsl._

Arthur breathed heavily through his nose as he mulled the comments over. He slammed the lid of the laptop shut. He suddenly realised that not one of his buddies had responded to the photo. Neither to ridicule him nor to stick up for him as Gwaine had. They probably just hadn't been online he reasoned. Yeah, that had to be it. 

It took a lot of effort to get ready that morning. He followed his usual morning routine. Much to Arthur's annoyance his cock was still fighting for his attention. He finally gave up towards the end of his shower, quickly stroking himself to completion, ignoring the images the dream, the party and the photo flickering through his mind. Afterwards he felt strangely numb and empty. But at least that was one problem taken care of.

Several times Arthur considered feigning illness and skipping school but that would just add fuel to the fire. He would go to school with his head held high and if anyone said anything he would set them straight. As Arthur very much was. He had nothing to worry about.

 

Arthur's stomach was fluttering so much that he only managed half a slice of dry toast for breakfast. Uther had raised an eyebrow and shot him a pointed look but Arthur had deflected it by making something up about being nervous for a mock exam. He was getting pretty good at this whole lying thing. 

By the time he was ready to leave the house, Arthur was already exhausted. His stomach was in knots and his mind all over the place.

"You ready, brother?" Morgana came bounding into the hallway. Arthur glanced at her and nodded. How could she look so composed at a time like this?

"I'll drive you today," she said. 

Again he nodded numbly. He must look bad if Morgana was offering to look after him. 

"Yeah, um, thanks,"

"And then maybe you can... Get things off your chest," her expression was unreadable. Arthur couldn't quiet tell if Morgana was concerned or if she wanted all the juicy gossip. Perhaps a mixture of the two.

Arthur didn't respond. There wasn't anything to say. He slid his shoes on, shouldered his bag and opened the front door. The pair walked down the drive, the only noise being the gravel crunching underfoot. 

Upon sliding into the dark green mini, Morgana started preening in the rear-view mirror. Arthur stared out of the passenger side window waiting for her to finish applying her lip-gloss and playing with her hair. When he turned to glance at his sister, he found her staring at him over the top of a large pair of designer sunglasses.

"Spill," she said simply.

"There's nothing to spill," Arthur replied, not quite meeting her penetrating gaze.

"That's bullshit Arthur Pendragon and you know it is," she paused to let Arthur speak. When he didn't reply she carried on "We grew up together Arthur. I know when you're upset and more importantly, I know when you're lying," 

Arthur shrugged. "I don't remember is all," he lied. "And I'm not looking forward to facing school today and having to explain a million times that I was drunk and I have no idea who that guy is and contrary to popular belief I still very much like tits,"

Morgana watched him for a couple of seconds, studying every possible millimetre of his face. "Hmmm," she said before started up the ignition and speeding off.

Arthur had never very much enjoyed Morgana's driving. She was a bit of a speed freak, even in her little green mini. To her, the rules of the road were merely guidelines. However, today he sort of enjoyed speeding along the roads, window down and the wind ripping through his hair. For a few moments, he almost forgot all of his worries. Morgana did not speak throughout the journey and Arthur was glad for that. He was starting to think that she had dropped it when they pulled up sharply in the sixth form car park.

"Thanks for the ride," Arthur said as they clambered out of the car. "I don't think I could have concentrated today,"

Morgana shrugged and waved him away as if was nothing. They were siblings after all. Even if they didn't always get along, they were still there for each other. He turned towards the form rooms.

"Arthur?" He noticed that Morgana had lowered her voice. She looked over her shoulder to make sure they were alone.

"Yeah?"

"You can lie to me, and you can lie to father and you can lie to your friends but you need to stop lying to yourself," and with that she was gone as if she hadn't said a word. Arthur waited for the clip-clop of her high heels to fade away before he moved from the car park. 

He wasn't sure what to make of Morgana's words. He wasn't lying to himself. He was just confused, that was all. The happenings at the party had just been a drunken mistake. Arthur had never been very good with affection and had reacted clumsily, the old way he knew how. Last night's dream and resulting hard on were just his brain trying to make sense of things. He ignored the fact that he had always found the blue-eyed stranger mysteriously attractive. It had never been an issue before. It shouldn't be now, just because Arthur had found out that he wasn't just a figment of his imagination.

Arthur found himself outside Mr Monmouth's form room with little recollection of how he'd gotten there. He stalled outside, suddenly too afraid to turn the door handle. His head filled with images of everyone jeering as he opened the door. 

Without warning, something heavy collided with Arthur's shoulder.

"What you waiting for?" A voice said in his ear.

Arthur whirled around to find Percival towering above him, his large hand resting on Arthur's shoulder.

"Just feeling a little queasy," Arthur admitted. It wasn't a lie. His stomach was in knots, the half slice of toast dramatically threatening to make a reappearance. 

Percival made a sympathetic face. "Still feeling the effects of all that alcohol?" 

"You could say that," Arthur muttered.

"C'mon," Percival said brightly, "I'll look after you,"

Arthur smiled. "Cheers mate,"

With that Percival shoved the door open and pulled Arthur into the room behind him. Leon, Owain and Pellinore were seated around their usual desk. The beamed in the general direction of Arthur and Percival and shifted to make room.

"Was beginning to think you guys weren't coming," Leon said as they took their seats.

"Don't be daft," Arthur replied, some of his confidence returning "nothing would keep me away from this hell hole," he was going to say 'from your pretty face' but decided not to under the circumstances. He didn't want to fuel further rumours or to pull Leon into any of this mess. 

The rest of registration dissolved into their usual banter. No one made any mention of the picture and Arthur wondered if any of the boys had even seen it or if they really just didn't care. Maybe he had worked himself up for no reason. 

In fact, Arthur made his way through the entire morning with little more than a few giggles and stares. He could put up with that, even if it was slightly irritating. He was used to people looking at him when he walked down the hallway. This was no different. Or at least that is what he told himself. 

The biggest worry however was football practise at lunch time. Some of the lads on the team were the blokey-bloke type, masculine to the max. Arthur had always got on alright with them though he wouldn't call many of them friends. He had a feeling that if any of them had jumped to conclusions after seeing the picture that their opinions regarding Arthur may have quite drastically changed. They were the type of boys that were a lot more vocal in their prejudice but also a lot less willing to listen. 

Again, it was hard to eat. The orange he had chosen for lunch was bitter and he had trouble swallowing it down. He knew he should eat something more if he was to have enough energy for practice but nothing was appetising and his stomach was in knots again. He walked alone towards the changing room, taking more time than usual. 

His legs felt weak and it took a lot of concentration to walk in a straight line. Arthur wondered if it was due to lack of food or nerves. Probably a bit of both. When Arthur reached the door for the boy's changing room, there was already a commotion coming from inside. Several loud voices were competing for attention. Hopefully he'd be able to make it in without drawing any attention. He hesitated for a second taking one final large breath. As he was about to push the door open he heard his name mentioned. He paused.

"Anyone seen Arthur?" It was unmistakably Leon's voice. There was an edge of concern to his friend's voice. Arthur imagined Leon's brow furrowing as he suddenly realised they were a man down.

There was a chorus of 'no' and one 'nah mate' from the rest of the lads. It seemed that was the end of the conversation. Arthur raised a hand to push the door open again when someone else spoke.

"Is it true?" Arthur couldn't quite place the voice. One of the lads he didn't really talk to. 

"Is what true?" Leon asked. 

"Is he really a poof?" There were a couple of sniggers. Arthur's breath hitched in his chest. His hand fell to his side and he leant against the wall. He struggled for a second; stopping himself from barging into the room and setting the record straight but he couldn't quite find the courage. He was beginning to think that Leon wasn't going to answer when finally he spoke.

"Dunno man. He's fancied plenty of girls in the past. But what does it matter if he likes blokes?" 

Arthur smiled at the words of his friend. He was glad there was someone there who had his back. Someone who honestly didn't care about his sexuality. Either way, it didn't matter because Arthur certainly did not like blokes. Not in the slightest. He pushed away the nagging image of Merlin that was swimming around in the back of his mind. One confused thought didn't mean anything.

"I just wanted to know if he's been sneaking glances at me todger," Arthur now finally recognised the voice as belonging to Balin Savage, one of the commenters from the photo. The pair had always got on fine and made quite a good team out on the field, but Arthur would not describe them as being friends. 

"No one bloody cares about yer todger," a new voice joined the conversation. Balan, Balin's twin brother. 

"Shut yer face," Balin protested.

"It is a bit weird though," Balan said. "Realising that you've been getting changed in front of someone like that. What if he has just been copping an eyeful every practice?" 

"Storing it in the wank bank for later," Balin interrupted. There was a series of laughs from the rest of the lads.

"That's disgusting," someone else chimed in.

"Don't tell me, I'm not the one doing it," 

It was at that point that Arthur decided that he couldn't face the team. Not today. He stood abruptly, swinging his bag back onto his shoulder. He set off walking briskly seconds before the changing room door creaked open. He did not look around to see who it was, instead quickening his pace. He walked, unsure of where his feet were taking him. The corners of his eyes burned but he was not going to let himself cry. Not over this. Everything would blow over soon. It would be yesterday's gossip and he could hook up with a random girl and everyone could forget about this. Yes. That is what would happen. 

Arthur found himself in the toilets. He flung himself into the nearest cubicle, bolting it behind him. Seconds later, loud footsteps announced the arrival of someone else.

"Arthur open up," Arthur inwardly groaned as he heard Gwaine's voice echo around the tiles.

He stayed quiet, hoping that he would be left alone to feel sorry for himself in peace.

"I know you're in here, I followed you in," 

Arthur ignored him again.

"Alright, you asked for it," Gwaine said.

There was a loud bang as the connecting cubicle door flew open. It was followed by a few quieter bangs and some strained grunting from Gwaine. Suddenly his beaming face appeared over the top of the wall.

"Brace yourself, I'm coming in!" and that was all the warning Arthur got before Gwaine's body was tumbling into Arthur's occupied cubicle.

Arthur pressed himself as far back as possible, horrified. "What the fuck are you doing?" he half-yelled "I could have been taking a shit!"

"Luckily for me, you weren’t," Gwaine beamed at Arthur and patted him on the shoulder. Arthur noticed he was still wearing his football kit.

"What are you doing?" Arthur asked.

"I'm trying to see if you're okay," Gwaine said, his face suddenly a lot more serious. "I saw you running away from the changing room. Figured you'd heard what some of the guys were saying about you,"

"I wasn't running away!" Arthur shot back. He attempted to fold his arms against his chest but there was barely any room to manoeuvre. 

Gwaine raised a sceptical eyebrow at Arthur. 

"Look, Arthur, I know what happened," Gwaine said. His voice was low, barely more than a whisper.

Arthur's head shot up. "I don't know what you’re talking about,"

"Yes you do or you wouldn't be freaking out so badly," Gwaine said. He smiled as Arthur's body stiffened. "Merlin told me everything. He thinks you don't remember it. He also thinks you're a grade A arsehole after the way you spoke to him. I'm inclined to agree but I know this is a big deal for you. I'm not going to tell anyone, just please leave Merlin out of your experiments in future. He's a lot more fragile than he'll have you believe. Don't tell him I said that,"

"I don't plan on seeing him again," Arthur muttered. 

"Good. I don't want him to get hurt while you work out whatever's going on," Gwaine said.

"I know what's going on," Arthur said. "I like girls. I always have. The party was just a momentary lapse of judgement,"

"Do you really believe that?" Gwaine asked. "Like I said I won't tell anyone. But if you ever need to chat, I'm happy to listen,"

Arthur nodded mechanically. 

"Probably ought to wait a few minutes after I leave," Gwaine said "Don't want to spark any more rumours,"

Arthur did as Gwaine suggested. He didn't think he could handle the whole school thinking he was shagging two lads when in fact he wasn't shagging anyone at all. The corridor was deserted, a majority of the school still being in the cafeteria or milling about outside. Arthur wondered about alone until the bell sounded, symbolising that class started again in five minutes. 

That afternoon, Arthur had physical education with Percival. Arthur slipped into the room before anyone else arrived. He was joined moments later by Percival, his large friendly face crumpled when he saw Arthur.

"Missed you at footie," Percival said as he folded himself into the chair besides Arthur. 

"Felt sick," Arthur said, rubbing his stomach for emphasis. 

Percival nodded. He looked like he wanted to say something but decided against it. Instead, he changed the subject "Quiz me,"

"Huh?"

"On muscles and shit," Percival said. "I keep forgetting,"

It was a blatant lie, Arthur knew. Usually Percival was about as sharp as a beach ball but everyone knew that Percival was the best in their class when it came to the proper names of various parts of the body. Arthur let it slide; he knew what Percival was doing and he was glad for the distraction. Though Arthur did not quite forget what he had overheard, it was not at the forefront of his mind as he and Percival chatted through the class. He could almost feel his own muscles relaxing as they discussed the structure and function of each muscle in turn.

After an hour of chatting and revising the lesson ended. Arthur’s last lesson of the day was a free period. Usually, this meant that he was able to go home early. He packed his books away hurriedly, thankful that the day was over. He would be able to go home and relax and forget about other people’s opinions for five minutes. 

“How you getting home, bud?” Percival asked as they left the classroom.

Arthur felt the smile melt off his face as he remembered that he had not driven in today.

“Shit. I don’t know,” he answered. “Morgana gave me a lift this morning but she’s got English Lit now,”

“You numpty,” Percival said, pushing Arthur gently in the arm.

“I can’t believe I forgot,” Arthur said.

“Fancy a walk back?” Percival asked. 

Arthur thought about it. While he did really want nothing more than to lock himself in his bedroom, perhaps the fresh air would do him good. Spending time with Percival for the past hour had helped Arthur to calm down considerably. Maybe a while longer with his friend could help Arthur to put things into perspective.

“Go on then,” Arthur agreed. 

The pair strolled towards the school gates, Arthur texting Morgana to let her know that he wouldn’t be needed a ride home that afternoon. As Arthur slipped his phone into his pocket, it buzzed. He pulled the phone out again; a text from an unfamiliar number.

_‘Hey Art, it’s Lance. Hope you don’t mind I got your number from Gwaine. Fancy a kick about this afternoon?”_

Arthur smiled at the message, noting that Lancelot did not use text speak. He showed the message to Percival who nodded his approval. Arthur quickly thumbed his response: _‘Sure! Mind if I bring a mate or two?’_

_‘That’s fine. The more the merrier :)’_

The next few minutes were spent planning where the group would meet. Arthur sent a text inviting Leon along as well. It was decided that they would meet in a park situated somewhere in between Camelot Sixth Form and Avalon Community College. 

After some time, the pair finally arrived at Arthur’s house. They both dumped their bags in Arthur’s bedroom and he fixed them both a sandwich. Arthur felt infinitely better after eating something substantial. Once the sandwiches were finished and plates deposited in the dishwasher the pair slid into Arthur’s car. For the first time that day his stomach stopped churning and his head a little clearer. Percival had made it clear that despite any rumours, he did not care what Arthur had or hadn’t done at Gwaine’s party. That was enough to put a smile on Arthur’s face for now. He didn’t have to censor his behaviour, or make excuses or deny accusations. For now, Arthur could be himself.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next installment of He Was Running. I hope everyone enjoys it. I'm really looking forward to any feedback on this chapter.
> 
> Also a quick note that this chapter involves very brief descriptions of blood and gore and a few horror tropes.

He was running. Laughing as he ran circles around his friends, dribbling the ball to the far end of the field. He left the other lads behind as he tore towards the goal. The other team were falling into a defensive position. His team mates were closing in behind him, offering support. And still he ran. Still he laughed as time and time again the opposition went in for a tackle, sliding in front of him, each time failing as he flicked the ball in the other direction. The breeze tickled his face, whipping his hair backwards. He felt free.

“Oi! Pendragon, stop hogging the ball!” the words were nearly whipped away by the wind, but he caught the joking tones of Leon’s voice as he called over to him. 

Arthur laughed again and put on another spurt of speed. “But I’m on a roll!” he called out over his shoulder. He was more or less at the net now, ready to take a shot. Lancelot’s friend, Elyan, stood in goal, his hands spread wide. He was sizing Arthur up, wondering which way Arthur was going to shoot; whether or not Arthur had it in him to bluff. 

Arthur swung his leg back, lining up the shot. He was having a staring contest with Elyan, careful not to give away his intended angle. Suddenly Elyan's eyes widened, his face splitting into a grin. He was looking past Arthur. Now was the perfect time.

"Gwen!" Elyan called "Merlin! Come join us,"

Arthur was mid swing as he heard Merlin's name. He fumbled the shot, completely missing the ball with his foot and swayed violently struggling not to fall onto his backside. Shyly, Arthur glanced around to make sure no one had noticed his mistake. Or more accurately the reason for his mistake. Luckily, all eyes were on the new arrivals. The game was forgotten as the players jogged to greet Gwen and Merlin. Slowly, Arthur walked to join the group. 

Leon sidled up beside him and clapped a hand on his shoulder "serves you right for being a dickhead," he said, though he was smiling widely. Arthur smiled back sheepishly. 

There were hugs all round. In the commotion, Arthur was unsure if anyone noticed the way in which Arthur and Merlin carefully ignored each other; a choreographed dance which ensured that they were as far away from each other as possible, even amongst the constantly moving crowd. 

"You wanna play?" Lancelot asked, gesturing to the football.

Gwen eyed the ball and the players, pursing her lips. "What do you think, Merlin?" 

Merlin shrugged. "I don't really like football," he said. Arthur, who was still carefully avoiding gazing directly at Merlin felt a pair of eyes on him. He looked up from the ground to find those familiar blue eyes staring at him. They were filled with an emotion that Arthur could not identify, hate possibly, maybe something else. Either way the glare was intense. A kind of intensity that Arthur had never experienced. Arthur felt his stomach flip over in response and his pulse quicken. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to dive on top of Merlin and to snog him senseless. Simultaneously, the overwhelming urge to punch the other boy in the face surged through his body. 

Unfortunately, neither choice was a viable option. Particularly surrounded by their friends. Instead, Arthur subtly pinched himself on the arm, taring his gaze away. Glancing at the rest of the group, it seemed no one had noticed Arthur's internal struggle. They were all busy trying to persuade Gwen and Merlin to join their game or at least to stay and play something else. 

"Actually," Gwen interrupted the pleas coming her way. "We were planning on going to the cinema. There's a new horror film that I just need to see," she smiled at the group. Arthur swore that she was puffing her chest out in Lancelot's direction. Not that Arthur was looking. His eyes were drawn to Merlin's hands as he fiddled with the blades of grass around his feet.

"I'm up for that," Leon said. "If you don't mind us tagging along,"

Gwen smiled. "Of course not, it will be fun,"

"Great. That's sorted then!" Lancelot beamed, clapping his hands together.

Arthur groaned internally. Right now he couldn't think of anything worse than spending two hours in a darkened room with Merlin. 

"I'm not sure," Arthur said. "I'd love to go but I'm a bit too muddy for the cinema,"

"I thought you packed a change of clothes," Percy piped up. For a man of few words, he really did know when to put his foot in it. Arthur faked a smile and thanked his friend. From the look on Percy's face, Arthur wondered if he'd spoken up on purpose. 

Arthur sighed to himself. At least the film would provide a distraction. And he wouldn't have to look at or speak to anyone, least of all Merlin.

Scanning the environment, Arthur noted a small, square building to the corner of the park. "That the toilets?" He asked, jabbing his thumb towards the concrete box. Lance nodded. "Great, I'll get changed before we go then,"

No one else opted to get changed. Somehow it was always Arthur that managed to leave the field covered in mud. While he was an excellent player, he was also excellent at falling over. After all, rolling around on the floor was a vital part of being a football player. 

Upon closer inspection, Arthur noticed that the yellowing paint was peeling away from the outer walls of the toilet block. The iron gate that stood ajar at the entrance was almost entirely covered in rust. Grimacing, Arthur wrapped his hand in his T-shirt before easing the gate open with a ominous creak. He instantly regretted his decision to get changed in an unfamiliar public toilet but knew that if he went back now everyone would take the piss out of him; call him a pansy, or a princess or precious or any combination of the three. 

There was a distinct stink of stale urine in the air. Arthur wondered how long it had been since the place had been cleaned. Had it ever been cleaned? Holding his breath the best he could, Arthur ventured into one of the cubicles. He was changed in record time, wanted as few germs as possible to attach themselves onto his person. He wondered what his father would make of Arthur setting foot in a place like this. 

Doing up the fly of his clean jeans, Arthur slid the lock open with his elbow. He jumped back slightly, realising that someone was stood at the sink opposite his cubicle. A pair of bright blue eyes were staring at Arthur, framed by pale skin and dark, unkept hair. They were hard and unblinking. Slightly squinting as they bored into Arthur's own eyes. Arthur stared back, noticing something new; a hint of uncertainty underneath the hard glare.

"What do you want?" Arthur asked, striding over to the other sink. He watched through the speckled mirror as Merlin's gaze followed Arthur across the room. Merlin's arms folded tightly over his chest, his dark blue T-shirt riding up to expose a small sliver of creamy skin between the hem of his top and waistband of his jeans. Not that Arthur noticed.

"To talk," Merlin said after a few seconds. 

"I don't really want to talk to you," Arthur sighed, his back still toward Merlin. He turned the tap on, repulsed to realise that there was no soap. The water tricked from the tap, icy cold. Arthur splashed it over his hands, tearing his attention away from Merlin to locate a hand dryer.

"Like it or not we're going to have to talk at some point," Merlin said. As he spoke, Merlin strode towards Arthur, stopping mere inches away from his back. 

Arthur turned, folding his arms across his chest, breath hitching slightly at the sudden proximity. Only when it was too late did he realise he had mirrored Merlin's stance. He shifted uncomfortably as Merlin's eyes flicked up and down his body; an amused smile appearing on Merlin's lips. Merlin must have taken Arthur's silence as a cue to continue as he spoke again.

"I don't know what I did to make you dislike me so much," 

Arthur scoffed as the words fell from Merlin's lips. Merlin either didn't notice or didn't care.

"But whatever. Whatever I did, I apologize. You don't have to like me but it looks like my friends and your friends are becoming one group. For the sake of them I think we should be civil," 

Arthur regarded the boy in front of him. His arms had flopped to his sides and the uncertainty in his eyes had increased. He watched Arthur, waiting for a response. He was biting his lower lip. A thought passed through the back of Arthur's mind, barely audible but distracting all the same. His eyes lingered on Merlin's lips for a second, wishing that it was he nibbling upon the soft, pink flesh. He struggled not to reach out and place a reassuring hand on Merlin's shoulder.

"Yeah, whatever," Arthur shrugged, not willing to admit what was really going through his mind. That Merlin didn't need to apologise. It was Arthur after all, that had come on to Merlin at the party and then it was Arthur that had acted like a prick the following morning. He knew that now. 

Merlin exhaled through his nose. "Good," he looked visibly relieved and a small smile flickered over his lips again. 

Arthur smiled back, tight lipped. His back was pushed up uncomfortably against the sink, he realised. Even though the conversation was undoubtedly over, Merlin lingered in front of Arthur, blocking his exit. Their eyes locked once more. Merlin's expression was, again, unreadable but his features had taken on a softer edge. His eyes less hard and so incredibly blue. His lips so soft looking, so inviting and his skin so pale, almost flawless. Touchable. Arthur's arm lifted, as if to cup Merlin's cheek. Arthur felt himself leaning forward, an unknown force dragging him in. Panic, followed by confusion flickered across Merlin's face, yet he didn't move. Their foreheads were touching. Arthur could feel his heart pounding. Then Merlin was moving, bringing himself closer still, closing the gap. Arthur's mind reeled. This was happening again. And this time, no alcohol was involved. 

A creaking noise filled the room, causing Merlin and Arthur to spring apart. 

"Arthur, you okay buddy?" Leon's voice echoed around the tiled walls a second before the boy came into view. Arthur saw Leon pause, if only for a moment as he took in the scene before him. Though Merlin had sprung away upon hearing Leon enter the bathroom, he was still much too close. Far too close for any normal conversation. Far too close for friends, let alone mere aquantences. Leon's gaze flickered between the two boys. "Everyone's getting worried, you've been ages,"

"Sorry mate, was just... Chatting with Merlin," Arthur said, brushing Merlin to the side and striding over to Leon. "Is everyone ready?"

"Just waiting on you two," Leon said.

Clearing his throat, Merlin quickly rinsed his hands under the tap. He wiped them quickly on his jeans. Then without a word, he walked towards the exit. He nodded at Leon as he passed, eyes avoiding Arthur altogether.

Arthur found himself unable to move for a moment. He found Leon looking at him, his eyebrow was raised though he did not pass comment. Arthur wondered what exactly was going through his friends mind.

"Let's go," Leon said eventually. "Film starts soon,"

**  
At the cinema, Arthur found himself firmly wedged between Lancelot and, to his dismay, Merlin. He acted as if he was unbothered by the arrangement but found himself carefully ignoring the dark-haired boy once more. Merlin seemed to have read Arthur's mind and was sat chatting to Percival who was sat on his other side. It was as if the whole bathroom incident had never happened.

Arthur glanced towards Lancelot, finding him to be otherwise preoccupied with Gwen. Leon was on the end of the row, munching happily on his popcorn. He caught Arthur's eye, rolling his own at the couple between them. Arthur made a face back, showing his equal distaste at the game of tonsil tennis taking place beside him. Elyan was seated at the other end of the row, determinedly looking anywhere but the happy couple. He'd kicked up a bit of a fuss on their arrival, claiming that he was not going to put up with having to watch his buddy place his hands on Gwen.

"You don't own my body," Gwen had stated, hands on hips. "Lancelot can put his hands wherever he likes,"

Elyan had shrunk back, opting to seat himself as far away as possible from his sister and her boyfriend. Arthur got the impression that Gwen was hamming it up a little in an attempt to annoy her older brother. 

The film was a gloomy horror film, full of blood and gore and demonic possessions. Arthur watched the trailers; mostly generic thrillers and horrors each one almost a carbon copy of the one before. 

The chatter around quietened as the film started. The camera focussed on a blonde teenage girl, though the actress was no doubt in her mid-twenties. She sat in her frilly pink bedroom wearing the skimpiest pyjamas Arthur had ever seen. He barely surpressed a chuckle at how cliché it all was. Beside him, Arthur heard a tut. He turned to see Merlin rolling his eyes at the screen. 

For one brief, completely insane second, the pair shared a smile before both returning to the screen in front. Arthur watched as the scene unfolded; a group of highschool girls had stumbled upon some kind of urban legend and decided to try it out at their sleep over. It involved plenty of hand holding, flickering candles and staring into mirrors as they chanted in mangled Latin. It would have been creepy if Arthur hadn't seen the same plot a thousand times before. The chanting was getting louder and more frantic; the camera circling around the girls at an alarming speed. Suddenly, the chanting came to an abrupt stop, just as all the candles blew out. There was a few seconds worth of panicked whispering in the dark before a scare chord rang out as the main character spotted a demonic looking face in the mirror. Arthur felt Merlin jerk next to him, surprised by the sudden appearance. Arthur sniggered slightly and Merlin sent a scowl his way.

The sudden movement however, had brought to Arthur's attention the fact that Merlin was sitting incredibly close. He was suddenly extremely aware of the warm leg pressing up against his own. Aware of the friction between their jeans as Merlin's leg bounced, on edge after the film's first jump scare. Arthur cleared his throat slightly as he felt his cock twitch. He stared intently at the screen telling himself that it was not caused by the sudden physical contact from Merlin. No, obviously it was because of all the scantily clad ladies on the screen. Arthur had never seen so much cleavage and arsecheek in his life. 

Yet, long after the skimpy pyjamas and bare flesh had vanished Arthur's little problem persisted. All the way through the scenes containing the creepy old nuns and the eeirily abandoned playgrounds complete with ironic nursery rhymes Arthur's cock strained against his jeans. Even when the main character developed a devastating case of bloody black barf, typically an instant turn off, Arthur struggled to ignore the ache in his groin. And still Merlin's leg pressed against his own. It had stopped shaking now, as Merlin had gotten used to the pacing of the film, though the relentless warmth radiating through the denim between them was almost impossible to ignore.

It was getting close to the climax of the plot. Arthur was glad on one hand; he would be able to get out of this situation and forget that today had ever happened. Though on the other hand, he was petrified that somebody would notice his current situation. How on earth would he explain that one away? 

The music was getting louder and more erratic; an epic chase scene taking place somewhere in front of Arthur. He struggled to take it in as the main character ran around her house, lamp in hand as a makeshift weapon as the villain of the movie stalked her every move. 

A gasp erupted around the room as the main character fell to the floor, a sickening crack sounding as her ankle snapped. Arthur found himself rolling his eyes once more at the cliché. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Gwen clinging to Lancelot, watching the film through her fingers. Arthur looked back in time to see that the protagonist had managed to crawl along the hallway, hysterically shrieking as the demonic stalker grew ever closer. She crossed the threshold into a nondescript room just as the demon wrapped its claws around her broken ankle. Merlin's leg began it's infuriating bounce once more as a gasp escaped his lips. 

Screams erupted from the speakers. Arthur dragged his attention to the screen, ignoring the movement beside him. The heroine twisted herself, slamming the door behind her. Arthur grimaced as he realised her foot was on the other side of the door. A stomach churning squelch rang out as the audience were treated to a close up shot of the foot being ripped clean from her leg. 

Arthur gasped, though not because of the gore on the screen. Merlin's hand was placed firmly on Arthur's thigh. Arthur's cock pushed against his zipper even more than before. Panicked, Arthur glanced at Merlin, who was seemingly unaware of what he was doing. He was staring straight ahead, eyes wide. He looked even paler than usual. Arthur had the sudden inexplicable urge to wrap his arms around him, to pull him close, to stroke his hair. To protect him. 

Shifting slowly, as not to draw attention and cause a scene, Arthur placed his own hand atop Merlin's. There was another intake of breath and Arthur found those bright blue eyes staring at him questioningly, almost apologetically. For one excruciating second Arthur wondered just what he was going to do. The urge to guide Merlin's fingers towards his aching cock was almost overwhelming. Almost. 

It was the longest second of Arthur's life before he came to his senses and took Merlin's hand away from his leg, dropping it limply between them. It took Arthur a few more seconds to realise that Merlin's hand was still grasped firmly in his own. In fact, Merlin was rubbing small circles on the back of Arthur's hand with his thumb. Arthur glanced once more at Merlin, who was staring intently at the screen as if this was the most natural thing in the world. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. 

Arthur decided that at that moment in time he didn't care. He leant back, relaxing for the fist time since the film had begun, allowing Merlin to continue tracing circles on the back of his hand. The familiar warmth was oddly soothing. Arthur allowed himself a small smile. He would let himself indulge, just for now. He could deal with the aftermath later. 

Far too soon, the credits began to roll. Without warning, Merlin dropped Arthur's hand, twisting to chat with Percival. The sudden, cold emptyness in Arthur's palm was jarring. Arthur did his best to ignore the new feeling, but couldn't help feeling slightly deflated. The lights came up, laughter and chatter growing louder as the audience surged towards the exit.

"What now?" Gwen called to the group. "Anyone up for a few drinks?"

There were a few murmers of acceptance. Arthur checked his watch. It was getting late.

"I'd love to, but father will be wondering where I am?" Arthur said. 

There were a few sniggers.

"Father?" Merlin asked, a smirk in his voice. 

"Arthur is a posh daddy's boy. Its what we love about him," Leon said, a sparkle in his eyes.

"Don't start," Arthur warned, only half joking. He had forgetten, momentarily that not everyone here had the same upbringing as he. "I better get back to make sure Morgana hasn't blown up the house yet,"

"It was nice to see you," Lance said, clapping Arthur on shoulder. 

Arthur smiled and looked around the group. "Anyone need a lift?"

"You are my lift," Percy reminded him. 

"Think I'll stay out for a bit," Leon said, accepting a high five from Elyan. 

Arthur cast his gaze over the group. Merlin was stood slightly away from the others, head down towards the floor. Arthur swallowed, unsure about what he was about to do.

"What about you, Merlin?" He asked, attempting to keep his voice level.

Merlin shrugged, not even looking up. "I'll catch bus,"

"Don't be silly," Percy boomed before Arthur could even reply. 

Merlin shook his head. "I live in the opposite direction,"

"Doesn't matter," Arthur found himself saying. "If you're not staying with the others I'm not letting you go home alone,"

Merlin cast a look around, his eyes settling on Gwen.

"He's right," Gwen said, a smile curling her lips. "Who knows what murderers or rapists you might run into out there,"

Merlin returned the smile. "Fiiiine,"

**  
"They weren't joking about you being a posh daddy's boy," Merlin said as he clapped eyes on Arthur's bright red Porsche. 

On the way to the cinema the group had separated so Leon and Percy were in Arthur's car, the rest had travelled with Elyan.

Arthur unlocked the doors, choosing not to respond to Merlin's comment. Without much discussion, Percival tugged open the back door and folded himself into the back seat. Arthur slid into the driver's seat, starting the ignition and fiddling with the radio. He didn't know why but it suddenly felt very important that everyone enjoy the music selection. What type of music did Merlin like anyway? 

Merlin had slipped silently into the passenger's side. He avoided Arthur's gaze, opting instead to fiddle with the seat belt.

"Are you sure this is OK?" Merlin asked. His voice was quiet and unsure, completely unlike any side of Merlin that Arthur had seen so far. 

"I wouldn't offer if it wasn't," Arthur replied. Merlin nodded slightly. "Percy, pick some tunes," Arthur added, handing Percival his iPod.

Percival settled on a selection of classic rock songs; a playlist that had the three of them singing along at the top of their lungs, smiling and laughing with each other. 

"Drop me off first," Percy piped up as they exited the car park. "My house is closest,"

Arthur was unsure of the logic as Merlin lived in completly the opposite direction to Percy and himself. It would only mean that he would end up doubling back on himself. He didn't argue, however, telling himself it would give him some alone time with Merlin. Some time to figure out what on earth was going on. To put a stop to this nonsense and set the record straight. Arthur didn't miss the sly smirk that Percival shot him in the rearview mirror. That boy was really more perceptive than anyone gave him credit for. 

They slowed to a stop outside Percival's house. 

"Cheers buddy," he grinned as he slipped out of the car. "See you tomorrow Arthur, hope to see you soon Merlin,"

Merlin responded with a smile and a nod as Arthur called goodbye to his friend. Arthur suddenly wished he wasn't alone with Merlin. It seemed his stomach had taken it upon itself to learn acrobatics. Why did he ever think this was a good idea?

"Are we gonna sit here all night?" Merlin's voice jolted Arthur back into the here and now.

Arthur muttered a hurried apology and pulled away from the kerb. Though the music still blared from the speakers, Arthur and Merlin were much more subdued now left alone. Merlin muttered directions to Arthur, never quite catching his eye. It took around twenty five minutes until they reached the village Merlin lived in. 

The houses lined the streets, nestled tightly together in terraced rows. Arthur averted his gaze as he noticed a few boarded up windows here and there. He knew that Merlin obviously didn't live in an oversized, overpriced house like he did, but he was still taken aback that he lived in an area so run down.

"Just here's fine," Merlin mumbled, again not quite meeting Arthur's gaze. A wave of guilt crashed over Arthur as he realised why Merlin had been so insistant on making his own way home. "Cheers,"

Arthur nodded, not really trusting himself to speak. Merlin fumbled once more with his seat belt, his long fingers trembling. There was a soft click as Merlin pulled the door handle.

"Wait!" The word tumbled out of Arthur's mouth without asking his brain's permission first.

A small sigh escaped from Merlin's lips as he leant back in the seat, letting the door fall closed once more. Bright blue eyes fixed upon Arthur, questioning and unsure. 

"What?" Merlin asked after several moments of tense silence.

What did Arthur want? He wanted to set the record straight. To explain to Merlin that nothing was going to happen between them. The drunken kiss and the not-so-drunken hand holding had been mistakes. Temporary blips in Arthur's judgement. Though Arthur couldn't quite shake the feeling of Merlin's hand on his thigh. He studied Merlin's face for a long moment before whispering "I'm sorry,"

Confusion flickered over Merlin's features and unless Arthur imagined it, a hint of sadness was reflected in his eyes. 

"What for?"

"For being a dick," Arthur shrugged. 

Merlin gave a lopsided smile. "I thought we were past that?" His eyes glittered, a hint of mischief replacing the brief sadness. He leant over and patted Arthur gently on the leg. Arthur's breath hitched ever so slightly but Merlin must have noticed as he paused, leaving his hand in place and shooting Arthur an unreadable look. 

For the second time that day they were face to face, centimetres apart. The gap between them rapidly closing. Arthur's heart pounded in his chest, conflicted emotions coarsing through him. He could no longer deny that this was what he wanted. A voice appeared in the back of Arthur's mind sounding suspiciously like Gwaine 'Don't lead him on'

"Merlin, stop," Arthur managed to breathe.

"Why?" Merlin's voice came out low and husky. Arthur bit his lip slightly, denying the urge to lean in and capture the lips before him.

"I'm not gay," Arthur said. 

The words were barely out of Arthur's mouth before Merlin closed the gap, letting their lips linger for a fraction of a second. It wasn't really a kiss, more a touching of lips, but as Merlin pulled back he was smirking at Arthur. 

"Seem pretty gay to me," he said. Arthur opened his mouth to protest, but before he could find the right words, Merlin was out of the car.

"Thanks again for the lift," he called, bumping the door closed with his hip. 

Arthur watched dumbfounded as Merlin retreated up the garden path. The gate was rusty and hanging off it's hinges, the garden ever so slightly over grown. He watched Merlin open the front door, off of which some of the paint was peeling slightly. Arthur couldn't help but smile as Merlin's features broke into an even bigger grin as he was greeted by a woman in the hallway. She had the same dark hair and pale skin as Merlin and Arthur could tell, even from this distance, they shared the same smile. The woman enveloped Merlin in a hug and ruffled his hair in a well practised maneuver. Arthur felt something tug in his chest, jealousy perhaps? He'd never known his own mother and his father was not known for his affectionate ways.

Merlin turned and gave one last wave in Arthur's direction. The woman looked over at the car, her eyebrows raising and waved also. Arthur waved back before pulling away. 

**  
When Arthur arrived home the sky was tinged with orange and pink. He wondered if he had been missed by his father or by Morgana. Whether his father had even noticed his absence at all. It was not often that Arthur spent time with friends on a school night, though he did often shut himself away in his bedroom.

The large house was still and silent as the door swung open. For the first time, Arthur realised just how cold and unwelcoming it was. No one was here to hug him and ruffle his hair or ask him about his day. Arthur sighed. He kicked off his shoes, lining them neatly on the rack. He trudged upstairs to his bedroom. There was a light shining underneath Uther's study door, working late again, no doubt. A dimmer light emitted from Morgana's room. Glancing at his watch, Arthur surmised that she would be half way through her nightly beauty regime. Best not to bother her. 

After dumping his bag and shedding his clothes, Arthur sunk onto his bed, sprawled across the sheets like a starfish. He replayed the day over in his head. He felt positively drained and even more confused than he had that morning. Before Arthur could dwell too much he felt the soft embrace of sleep dragging him into unconsciousness. He wondered briefly whether he would dream that night before quietly drifting off.


	6. Chapter Six Part One

He was running. At least, he was trying to run. The shrubs and brambles were so thick around his knees that the most he could muster was a fast waddle. The thorns ripped at his legs, leaving thin, stinging trails across his skin where his trousers had been torn to shreds. The canopy overhead was thick, blocking out most of the sun, casting long creepy shadows that seemed to skitter away whenever he looked at them. He didn't know what he was fleeing from, or what he was running to. All he knew was that he needed to get out of the forest. He struggled against the brambles. The thorns felt like claws gripping at this ankles. A strangled yell escaped his throat as he looked down. The brambles were not brambles, but long black fingers curling around his leg. The jagged, rotten nails trailed across his skin. He kicked out in horror but his leg would not move, weighed down by the shadowy hand. He was being dragged down across. His body hit the floor with a soft thud. He snatched at the ground helplessly as he was dragged backwards. 

He felt something wrap around his wrist. He tried to jerk his hand away but the grip was too tight. A strange warmth spread through his arm, radiating from the fingers encircling his wrist. They were long and pale and after the initial panic, oddly comforting. He felt his body still, a gust of warm air over the top of his head. The grip on his ankle slipped away. He let himself be pulled up by the person clasping his wrist, coming face to face with a pair of dazzling blue eyes. 

Arthur awoke suddenly, the feeling of pressure lingering around his wrist. The image of Merlin's eyes grinning back at him was fresh in his mind. Arthur groaned to himself. There had been no further interaction with Merlin since Arthur had given him a lift home. Arthur had done his best to return back to normal. 

The past few days at school had been bearable. Apart from the few muttered instances of 'homo', 'fag' and 'gayboy' poorly hidden behind fake coughs by Cenred and the like there had been no further mentions of Arthur's sexuality. There was still a bit of tension in the boy's changing room though, and some of the girls had stopped fluttering their eyelashes at him, but that, Arthur could handle.  
There were even times when Arthur had managed to forget about it, about Merlin, for a few hours. Arthur knew however that today would not be one of those days.

The previous day, Arthur had been collared once more by Gwaine. 

"Parents are out of town again, having a get together," Gwaine had explained in hushed tones.

Arthur had shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Not sure I'm up to another house party so soon," Arthur had said.

"Not a party," Gwaine said. "Just mates this time."

Arthur wondered who Gwaine had meant by 'just mates'. "I'll think about it," Arthur said. He was sure that Merlin would be under the title of 'just mates' and Arthur was unsure whether he was able to put up with the insufferably sexy idiot for a whole evening. In the end, after a little pestering from the lads Arthur had reluctantly agreed to go. Over the week, Arthur had started to warm to Gwaine a little more, realising that for all his cockiness and irritating attitude he was actually a pretty good mate when he wanted to be. Arthur was beginning to realise just how fiercely loyal Gwaine could be. 

And so, it was Saturday morning when Arthur awoke his wrist tingling and the image of Merlin standing uncomfortably close fresh in his mind. He pushed the image from his mind; a task that he was becoming rather adept at based on the amount of times he had done it this week alone. 

Having nowhere to be that morning, Arthur sunk back into the soft pillow, cherishing the comfortable warmth. For a handful of minutes, Arthur relaxed. His mind systematically avoiding the topics of Merlin and Gwaine's 'get together'. He had plenty of time to worry in the hours leading up to this evening. 

Once the haze of sleep had gone from Arthur's eyes he sat up on the edge of his bed. He stood, stretching his muscles and letting out a yawn in the process. He padded across the thick carpet to his desk, pausing only to put on an old T-shirt to cover his bare chest. He opened his laptop, drumming his fingers on the desk as it started up. It was going to be a lazy morning of browsing the web, he decided. 

Once fully loaded, Arthur opened several tabs on his browser. He found some decent music to listen and began his mission to lose himself in the world of the internet. It wasn't long before Arthur found himself scrolling through a myriad of adorable cat pictures. A quiet 'bloop' sounded over the top of Arthur's music. He wasn't even sure he'd heard it until he saw the '(1)' on the tab currently containing Facebook. His brow furrowed, wondering who it might be. He hadn't posted anything for a few days. It was probably one of the lads wanting to plan the evening.

Reluctantly Arthur minimised the tab containing the adorable kittens squeezing themselves into ridiculously tiny boxes and clicked on the offending tab. 

His breath caught in his throat.

It was a friend request. The little box showed a picture of two boys. Before even reading the name accompanying the picture, Arthur instantly recognised Merlin. A wide smile graced Merlin's features, a mischievous twinkle reflected in his eyes. Arthur thought he had been laughing when the picture had been taken. The other boy's face was obscured, covered by a mop of curly dark hair. He was turned to the side pressing a kiss against Merlin's cheek. His arms were wrapped around Merlin, draped around his neck.

Arthur felt weird. He clicked away from the tab, not bothering to either confirm or deny the friend request. A strange feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. Merlin had a boyfriend. Not that Arthur was bothered by that. 

He was, however, annoyed. Annoyed that Merlin had shamelessly flirted with Arthur, touched him and even kissed him when, according to Merlin's profile picture he was quite obviously taken. Was this the reason that Gwaine had warned Arthur away from his friend? Not that Arthur was the slightest bit interested in the skinny, traitorous idiot. He'd tried hard enough to make that much apparent. He was sick of telling people. Sick of telling Gwaine and of telling Merlin that he just didn't feel that way.

Arthur let a long breath out through his nose, his hands massaging his temples. 

He was sick of telling himself. 

The music from Arthur's speakers grew steadily louder as he turned the dial, the beat filling Arthur's brain and rattling around his skull. He didn't know how to feel. He let his head sink into his hands, closing his eyes and allowing the heavy bass to consume him. He was angry, he was confused and if he was completely honest with himself, he was upset. But there was another emotion tugging at him, whirling around his head and sitting on his chest, restricting his breathing. He was worried. What if the boy from the picture, Merlin's boyfriend, was at Gwaine's house this evening? What if he knew what had happened? Suddenly, Arthur was terrified of being labeled as the bad guy. 

"Arthur! Turn that shit down!" Morgana's voice sounded through his door accompanied by a dull thumping, no doubt her fist hammering against the wood. He didn't move for a few moments, sighing to himself. He had thought that Morgana would have left by now to spend the weekend with her mother and half-sister. Apparently not. The banging resumed after Arthur failed to move, getting louder and angrier. 

"Arthur Pendragon don't you dare ignore me!"

There was no time to react before Arthur's bedroom door swung open. A livid looking Morgana framed in the doorway, hands on her hips and fire in her eyes. Half of her hair was curled, the other half hanging straight, having apparently neglected to finish it in favour of shouting at her brother. She strode into Arthur's room, slamming his laptop shut. It was a second before the music muted itself, leaving silence ringing in their ears. 

Still staring at his lap, Arthur expected Morgana to stride back out, slamming the door behind her but she did not move. He could almost feel her pale green eyes boring holes into the back of his skull where her intense gaze lingered. Her footsteps were soft as she crossed the room and closed the door. Arthur let out another sigh before looking up again. He jumped back upon noticing Morgana stood by the door. 

"What's the matter?" She asked, her tone was less harsh than before though still very matter of fact.

Arthur shrugged. 

A small smile tugged at the side of Morgana's lips. She invited herself to sit at the foot of Arthur's bed, spinning his desk chair and pulling Arthur so he was facing her. Arthur didn't resist. 

"You're a terrible liar," she said. Again Arthur said nothing. How could he confess his feelings to Morgana when he couldn't even confess them to himself. Eventually he looked at his sister.

"It doesn't matter," Arthur said. 

"It does if it's causing you to sulk in your room while listening to shitty emo music Arthur. You don't even like emo."

Arthur smiled, "I do today."

Morgana rolled her eyes. "You're lucky Uther's not in. He'd have exploded if he'd have heard you playing that noise."

"He'd have exploded if he'd heard you swearing and banging on my door," Arthur returned. The talk with Morgana was helping a bit, even if it wasn't addressing the issue at hand. 

She let out a tinkling laugh, "if you hadn't noticed, Uther has given me up as a lost cause," Arthur may have imagined it but he thought the smile didn't quite meet her eyes.

"He still loves you," Arthur supplied. "He's just set in his ways."

Morgana let out a soft 'hmmm'. A noncommittal response telling Arthur that she doubted that. 

"We're not talking about my issues," Morgana said. "What's got you sulking?"

For a few moments Arthur had thought he'd managed to get out of telling Morgana about his problems. He wasn't even properly sure what the issue was, let alone how to explain it. 

"I just found something out," Arthur said carefully. 

Morgana didn't speak, instead she watched her brother, waiting for further explanation. 

"I'm confused," Arthur said.

"I think I knew that much already," Morgana said. 

"It's just... I... I, er," Arthur stopped, fumbling his words. He couldn't believe he was about to say it out loud. Morgana just watched, her irritatingly patient gaze spurring Arthur on. "I've always thought I liked girls, bit recently I've realised that I might be slightly attracted to another boy. I think I might be gay."

It came out in one garbled breath, Arthur staring hard at his knees. When he looked up again Morgana was still smiling. "I don't think you're gay Arthur."

"You don't?" He gasped. That made her about the only person in the whole world that didn't believe Arthur to be gay. The only person he'd confessed to and she didn't believe him.

"I think that maybe you just like attractive people. It's possible," she clarified.

Arthur fixed her with a stare, unsure of how to respond. The thought that he might be bisexual or whatever had never even crossed his mind. It had always seemed so black and white before, so binary. Suddenly everything seemed to make sense. Everything was slotting into place.

"I think maybe you're right," Arthur said, a weight lifting from his shoulders. "Thanks Morgana."

She stood from the bed, placing a gentle hand on Arthur's shoulder. "I better go, Morgause will be here soon."

Arthur nodded, watching his half-sister exit the room. He couldn't believe that it had never occurred before. It seemed so obvious now that it was out in the open. He felt happier than he had in a long time. Now all he had to worry about was telling everyone else. That and the issue of dealing with Merlin and his mysterious boyfriend.

**

Arthur managed to get through much of the morning without further incident. He managed to shower with only minimal Merlin-based fantasies running through his mind. 

After getting dressed, Arthur tapped out a quick email to his father wondering if he was perhaps the only teenager in exsistance who had to correspond with his own parent via email. He gritted his teeth as the words of another lie appeared on the screen before him. 

'Dear father,  
I have made arrangements to spend the night with Leon and the football boys. I shall be back in the morning.

Arthur.'

He reassured himself that it wasn't actually a lie as he hit the send button. He hadn't said where he was stopping, just that the football team were involved. Arthur reread the email, realising that he hadn't in fact asked for permission. It felt rather good. After that, Arthur spent a few hours playing a variety of first person shooters, yelling down his headset at Pellinor and Leon to fall into formation and blast the motherfuckers on the opposing team. 

Before he knew it, it was time to leave. A gentle knocking on the front door alerted Arthur to the presence of the gang; Leon at the forefront, a huge grin plastered on his face. Upon opening the door and stepping out into the cool evening air, Arthur was greeted by a series of thumps on the shoulder and arm by way of greeting. 

Yet again, they were planning on catching the bus; an occurance that was getting far too frequent for Arthur's tastes. As they walked down the street, Arthur became aware of a clinking noise emmiting from the group. It was only then that he noticed the carrier bags distributed between Percy and Owain. 

"Tell me that isn't..." Arthur said, gesturing towards the bags.

"That it isn't several bottles of vodka and rum?" Owain chimed in. "Can't mate, that would be lying,"

Arthur groaned inwardly.

"Don't forget the wine," Percy added helpfully. 

Arthur felt his eyes roll of their own accord. "Why?"

"Gwaine informed me that there would be drinking games," Leon said. "The bloke even emailed me an itinary. It's going to be mental,"

"Thought we'd better come prepared, y'know," Pellinor added. 

"Why wasn't I informed?" Arthur asked. There was a small pool of nerves blossoming in the pit of his stomach. Sure, he'd expected alcohol, but not several carrier bags full of the stuff. He didn't know if he would be able to trust himself if he was drunk. The thought niggled the back of Arthur's mind all the way to Gwaine's house.

It was not as instantly recognisable as last time; a lack of heavy bass and drunken teenagers on the front lawn through Arthur off a little. Halfway up the street, however, Gwaine appeared in a door way grinning and shouting "Alrate ya dickheads,"

Greetings were quicknas Gwaine pulled the group over the threshold. He marveled briefly over the bags full of alcohol and ushered them into a room Arthur recognised as the dining room. Unlike at Arthur's last visit where all unnecessary furniture had been pushed away, a large circular wooden table stood in the centre of the room. Near the wall there was another, smaller table containing an impressive array of bottles all shapes and sizes. Gwaine added the new arrivals to the collection. 

"Pick your poison guys," he instructed. 

Arthur picked a small bottle of larger to begin with. He thought he better play it safe. 

"And take a seat. We've a lot to get through," 

Arthur settled himself between Leon and Gwaine, looking around properly at the other occupants of the room. He knew most of them: Lancelot and Gwen sat across from him. Gwen gave an excited little wave to the group as a whole. Next to Gwen was a girl that Arthur did not recognise. She was petite with long brown hair framing her pale features. There was a lip piercing in the corner of her bottom lip and her eyes were heavily lined with dark make-up. Arthur suddenly felt a little intimidated, but as her gaze fell on him her face split into an illuminating smile, her eyes twinkling. Arthur offered back his own warm smile before taring his gaze away. Next to the unfamiliar girl sat Merlin, Arthur tried not to let his eyes linger but he couldn't help but notice Merlin's unusually straight face, deviod of its characteristic smile. He wondered briefly what was wrong. It was strange to see the boy without the usual mischief dancing in his eyes. 

"Is this everyone?" A familiar voice asked. Elyan sidled into the room, slipping neatly into the chair on the other side of Gwaine. 

"Yep," Gwaine clapped his hands, rubbing them together eagerly.

"Aww, I was hoping for more girls," Owain said from somewhere down the table. 

"Apparently Gwaine is not quite the ladies man we all thought," another voice said. Arthur snapped his eyes to the owner of the voice. Instantly he felt his guts coil uncomfortably. It was the boy from Merlin's picture. Icy pale eyes landed on Arthur and the boy gave a small smile. Arthur nodded in return, suddenly petrified that the stranger could read his mind.

"Sorry to disappoint but tonight is not about drunken hook ups," Gwaine said. "It's about making friends,"

There were another few minutes as people scrambled around, filling their glasses and finding chairs. It was a large table, but Arthur counted twelve people in all so it was a bit of a squash. Eventually, with everyone settled Gwaine spoke to the group again.

"Right, I know there's some people that haven't been introduced yet but I'm lazy and can't be arsed so we're going to go round the table. Everyone says their name and one interesting fact about themselves. If your fact isn't interesting enough you down your drink," he explained. Arthur suddenly felt like he did on the first day of school when the teachers attempted to force bonding between the students. Only with more alcohol. He also suddenly realised that there was absolutely nothing interesting that he could think of to tell everyone. 

Gwaine started with himself, recounting the time he had been lead guitarist for a fairly popular local band. It was then that Arthur realised his mistake sitting next to the host. 

"I'm Arthur," he said, desperately wracking his brain for something, anything to share. 

"Tick tock," someone said.

However, while Arthur was umming and ahhing, someone let out an enormous fake yawn. "Boring!"

Arthur clamped his mouth shut to see the twinkle back in Merlin's eyes as he stared Arthur down. "I say he drinks," Merlin said.

 

There was a chorus of "Drink!" From around the table. Arthur sighed and bring the beer bottle to his lips.

"Gotta down it remember," Gwaine said into his ear. 

The rest of the game passed in much the same fashion. Most people drank; some people purposefully churning out less than interesting facts in order to be allowed to drink. He learnt that the name of the girl with the lip piercing was Freya and that she apparently had an impressive array of tattoos underneath her clothes, one of which was a cat sleeping on her left breast. If Arthur looked hard enough, which he tried to do as nonchalantly as possible, he could just see the tail flicking out from under her vest top. 

Next to Freya, Merlin had told the table about his pet lizard. Arthur had to bite his tongue to stop from shouting "boring" as way of revenge. He was secretly pleased, therefore when Gwaine deemed the fact as such and Merlin was forced to down the bottle in front of him. Arthur would never admit that he actually found Merlin's fact pretty interesting. He hadn't pinned him as a lizard lover. 

Arthur's victory was short lived however as the attention turned to the boy beside Merlin. Merlin was staring at him, a goofy looking grin plastered across his face.

"Hi, I'm Mordred," the boy said, giving a shy little wave across to those he didn't already know. His smile was small, tugging at the corner of his mouth as he fingered the glass in front of him lightly. There was a chorus of 'Hiii Mordred!' from around the table. Mordred's cheeks were tinted very light pink. He took a deep breath and followed with "I believed I had magic powers until I was about twelve,"

There were a few titters from around the table.

"But Mordred, you are magical!" Merlin exclaimed suddenly, causing an eruption of laughter. Mordred's cheeks took on a deeper shade of pink, though he was laughing along. Arthur did his best to smile along with the others but it felt strained. Something about the way that Merlin paid attention to Mordred made Arthur's insides hurt. He had to get used to it though, as Merlin and Mordred were a couple. Things were bound to get much more heated than a few lingering looks and flirtatious comments throughout the course of the evening. 

After Elyan's introduction, which Arthur didn't quite hear over his racing thoughts, the circle was complete. 

"What a boring bunch of bastards," Gwaine announced as Elyan wiped his mouth with his sleeve after gulping down his bottle. "Let's see if we can't liven you all up,"

Arthur had thought that Leon had been joking about there being an itinerary of drinking games so when Gwaine pulled out a sheet of paper and began consulting it he had to stop himself from snorting out loud.

"Ring of fire first," Gwaine announced, pulling a pack of cards seemingly from thin air. 

An empty pint glass was placed in the middle of the table and the cards placed face down around it. Gwaine busied himself ensuring everyone had a full glass or bottle. He also brought a few extra bottles over to the main table 'just in case'. Arthur thought Gwaine was perhaps over estimating the amount of booze they would need, but then again he had never played anything like this. 

It took Arthur a while to get his head around the rules. Each player took it in turns to draw a card from the circle and each card had its own rule or minigame attached. He soon found he was wrong to doubt Gwaine's estimations for the amount of alcohol they would need. 

It also soon became apparent that some of the others had got it in for Arthur, doing their best to sabotage him, picking him to drink more often than others. Arthur watched carefully as Merlin leant forward, pulling a card from the pile. His eyes took on a wicked gleam and landed on Arthur, his lips curling in a smile. Arthur's stomach fluttered. 

"Jack," Merlin announced, waving the card around the table.

"Make a rule!" Gwen said, consulting the sheet full of rules. 

Merlin tapped his chin thoughtfully, though Arthur was sure he already knew what his rule would be.

"Every time I drink," Merlin said, his eyes still fixed on Arthur, "Arthur has to drink,"

"You can't do that," Arthur protested.

"'Fraid he can. It's Merlin's rule," Gwaine said.

Arthur huffed to himself. "Anyone would think you're trying to get me drunk,"

Merlin laughed lightly "I don't know what you're talking about," the feigned innocence in his voice was all too apparent and Arthur was surprised that no one said anything until he saw Gwen shoot a sly grin in Merlin's direction. Just how many people were in on this?

The game went on with everyone, particularly Arthur, getting progressively more tipsy. The more he drank, the easier it was to mess up, meaning yet more drinking. More than once Arthur found himself happily proclaiming "Does he fuck!" rather than "ducky fuzz" in the middle of a round of Fuzzy Duck, much to everyone's amusement. 

It wasn't long before the cards were dwindling. Three of the four Kings had been drawn, meaning that the pint glass in the middle was now three quarters full of a combination of red wine, rum and coke and larger. Arthur desperately prayed he would not be the unfortunate soul that pulled the fourth card. He was already wobbly enough without having to drain the dreaded dirty pint. Arthur held his breath as he drew his next card. He smiled to himself when he saw the number two. According to the rules two was 'you' meaning whoever drew the card got to choose someone to drink with.

Arthur's eyes flicked across the table. They landed on Merlin who was watching him, eyebrows raised. Arthur wanted nothing more than to make Merlin drink, but that would mean he himself also taking a mouthful. Instead, Arthur remembered the conspiratorial look earlier from Gwen. Arthur flicked the card towards her.

"Gwen. Drink," he instructed. She did obligingly, giggling as she did. 

It was a few more turns before the final King was drawn. Freya laughed out loud as she pulled the offending card from the handful left in the circle. "You're fucking joking," she exclaimed, her lips curled in a smile. Arthur couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh. 

The pint was downed with minimal fuss and much whooping and cheering. Arthur wondered just how much practise Freya had in situations like this. As she slammed the glass onto table Merlin clapped her on the back "that's my girl!"

"Careful, you'll make me throw up," Freya grinned, letting out a belch.

"Not on me mam's clean carpet you won't," Gwaine warned her with a teasing smile. 

After the end of Ring of Fire, everyone was ushered into the living room. Arthur had known he was feeling buzzed, but it was only as he stood and the world sloped to the side that he realised how much the alcohol had effected him.

Once more, drinks were topped up as people draped themselves over various items of furniture. Arthur found himself on the floor, leaning against a two seated settee otherwise occupied by a very cuddly Lance and Gwen. He watched as the group arranged themselves around the room. He watched as Merlin unfolded himself on a rug in front of the fire place, stretching his arms and making his shirt ride up his back very slightly. The thin slither of pale flesh caught Arthur's attention. For a wild moment, he visualised himself running his fingers across the soft, creamy skin. 

"Can I sit with you?" Arthur was brought out of his thoughts by a voice somewhere above him. When he looked up he saw the pale, amused eyes of Mordred looking down at him.

"Er...sure," Arthur said, though his mind was screaming at Mordred to fuck off. 

Arthur adjusted himself to make room for Mordred. Thoughts raced through his mind. What exactly was the meaning of this? Was Mordred weighing him up, trying to determine how much of a threat Arthur posed? Or was he checking Arthur out for other reasons? What if Merlin and Mordred were planning a threesome? Arthur could feel himself blushing at the thought, hoping that everyone would put the ruddiness of his cheeks down to the booze. This was not what he wanted to think about. Arthur had only just accepted the possibility of being attracted to one boy. He was not ready to make any further leaps. 

"Who's up for another game?" Gwaine asked once everyone was settled. He didn't wait for a response before announcing that next up was truth or dare. Arthur was glad that it wasn't another drinking game so soon. But then it occurred to him what kind of questions his friends might come up with. It was going to be a long night.


	7. Chapter Six Part Two

He was running. Stumbling as his head spun. Or was it the world spinning? Arthur wasn't sure any more. He felt light and giddy, all prior reservations lost as he ran, pursued by Mordred, cackling wildly. They were a few rounds into truth or dare, most of which had been incredibly tame compared to Arthur's expectation. He had wondered whether Gwaine had been lulling them into a false sense of security but right now he didn't care. 

He ran back into Gwaine's open front door, followed closely by Mordred, slamming behind them and leaning on it for support as they panted and giggled to themselves. 

"I don't know, I think they saw you," Gwaine said, twitching back the curtains.

Arthur waved a hand "as if, we are crafty and sly like a fox," 

The dare had been to play 'knock a door run' with the neighbours house without being caught. If they were spotted, their forfeit would be in the form of another drink. 

Mordred had peeled away from Arthur's side, peering out of the window.

"There's a scary looking lady marching down the pavement," he informed Arthur.

"Busted!" Owain cried out, trying and failing to mask his own giggles. 

"Shit," Arthur managed as a loud knock shook the door.

"No one's home!" Gwaine hissed to the group. As one, everyone hit the floor, crawling their way out of sight.

A muffled shout was coming through the door "I know your mother young man! Don't think I won't be telling her about this!"

"As if she gives a shit," Gwaine muttered, rolling a can each to Arthur and Mordred "drink up boys!"

Arthur did as he was told, settling back into his spot next to Mordred. It took a few minutes for the knocking at the door to fade away. Soon after the giggles subsided and the game continued.

"Freya," Mordred said, "truth or dare?"

"After that ordeal I think I'll go with truth," she said.

"Tell us about your first kiss," Mordred ordered, his expression showing that he already knew the answer.

"Oh don't," Freya said, her face going red.

"Too late," Pellinore piped up "Besides, I'm sure we all want to know what is bad enough to make the hard core Freya blush,"

"Don't laugh then," Freya instructed, pointing her finger vaguely at everyone.

"They're going to laugh," Merlin chipped in.

Freya took a deep breath and a long swig from her drink.

"It's not funny, I was devastated," she exclaimed. "OK, maybe it's a little funny,"

"Get on with it then!" Pellinore goaded. 

"I was about thirteen when this friend of mine asked me to the cinema. We hadn't known each other long but I had a massive crush on him," she began. Next to him, Arthur could feel Mordred shaking with laughter. Arthur glanced around to see who else knew where this was going. Gwen had a knowing look in her eye and Merlin was smiling but everyone else seemed clueless.

"He'd picked a nice romantic comedy and it was lovely and he let me lean my head on his shoulder all the way through. We went for ice cream and then he walked me home and as we said goodbye I decided to take my chance. I leaned up and planted one on him," she stopped there, biting her lip.

"Come on Freya, then what happened?" Mordred asked.

"He pulled away and fixed me with this weird intense stare and told me he was gay!" She carried on. "I cried for days! I thought my kissing was so terrible that I'd turned him gay,"

"I said I was sorry!" Merlin blurted out, his ears glowing red. "I thought you knew,"

There were a few giggles at the revelation, Arthur included. 

"But you kissed me back!" Freya shot back, though she was smiling "and then you suddenly looked like you were going to puke. I thought I'd done something terribly wrong,"

"I was confused," Merlin said "but you're not a bad kisser. For a girl."

Freya stuck her tongue out at him. "Happy now Mordred?"

"Ecstatic,"

Freya eyed the group. "I think it's about time I finally got revenge for breaking my heart. Merlin,"

Merlin, having seen this coming, feigned surprise, slapping his hand to his cheek. He narrowed his eyes "dare,"

"I dare you to trade clothes with Gwen," Freya said, arms crossed over her chest.

"Don't rope me into this!" Gwen protested.

"Sorry hun, it's been said now," 

Merlin was already on his feet, swaying unsteadily as he peeled off his T-shirt and skinny jeans. He held his hands out impatiently towards Gwen. "Gimme"

"I'll get changed in the bathroom, if you don't mind," she announced. "What about underwear?"

"You can fuck right off!" Merlin said, hands on hips. Arthur found himself intently studying the pattern of the carpet. "I'm not wearing those stringy things you call knickers. I might like things up my arse but I draw the line at pieces of string!"

Arthur, halfway through a swig of his drink spluttered. He heard Mordred titter as he slapped him on the back. 

Gwen looked at Freya for clarification.

"No one wants to see Merlin in a g-string," she decided. "Top layer only,"

Gwen snuck out of the room, bundle of Merlin's clothing in her arms. Merlin sunk to the floor in the middle of the circle. It took Arthur a lot of effort not to stare at the milky white flesh, not to think about what it would be like to nibble at those collar bones, to press a train of kisses down his stomach. Instead, he busied himself with his drink. 

A few moments later, Gwen reemerged looking quite adorable in Merlin's oversized T-shirt. Her bottom filled the jeans out quite nicely, but there were several inches of material left dangling over her feet. She threw her dress in Merlin's direction.

"When did you get so tall, Merlin?" She asked, struggling not to trip over the jeans.

"When did you get so short?" He asked. Arthur chanced a glance up to find that Merlin had pulled Gwen's dress over his head and was busy trying to pull the skirts down over his backside. He plonked down onto the floor once more, not bothering to cross his legs and giving Arthur quite the eyeful of pale blue boxers. Arthur wondered whether that was what Merlin intended.

"Suits you Merlin," Arthur piped up, the alcohol pumping through his veins loosening his tongue.

"Thought you'd like it," Merlin replied with an exaggerated wink. There were a few wolf whistles, mainly from Arthur's buddies but while he knew they were most likely in jest, his stomach tightened. Arthur watched Mordred out of the corner of his eye, trying to gauge a response to Merlin's behaviour. Mordred had barely batted an eyelid, smiling along good naturedly. In fact, apart from the odd flirtatious line throughout the evening the two had barely acted like a couple at all. Arthur's stomach knotting further as her thought, perhaps he had jumped to conclusions. 

"Leon, truth or dare?" Merlin asked, pulling everyone back to the game. 

Leon was quiet for a moment, stroking his stubble thoughtfully. "Dare."

His words were met by a high pitched squeal and Merlin clapping his hands excitedly. "I have the perfect dare," 

"Oh dear lord," came Leon's response.

"I dare you to let me text a random number from your recent contacts," Merlin said. "You're not allowed to check what I've put until you get a response, which you have to read aloud,"

Leon fixed Merlin with a disapproving stare. "Nothing too bad," he instructed, handing over the device.

"We'll see," Merlin said already scrolling down the contacts. A mischievous smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, doing nothing to ease the butterflies fluttering around Arthur's stomach. 

After another minute or so Merlin handed the phone back wordlessly. 

"Who did you text?" Lancelot asked. Leon was straight faced and a little pale looking, while Merlin's eyes danced with drunken mischief. His eyes flicked from Leon quickly to Arthur. "Only Morgana,"

It was news to Arthur that Leon and Morgana spoke enough for her to be in his recent contacts list. He shot a look at Leon, eyebrows raised who responded with a shrug. Merlin's eyes still gleamed like that of a naughty schoolboy and Arthur tried not to think about what he had texted to Morgana and the wrath they would all feel when she read it.

"Big mistake mate," Owain said as if reading Arthur's thoughts. "Morgana is ruthless,"

A few minutes passed and Leon's phone stayed silent. Perhaps that was for the best, Arthur thought. 

"Gwaine, truth or dare?" Leon asked as they made the decision to play on while they waited.

Gwaine twisted his mouth to the side as he sucked the inside of his cheek, weighing over his options. "Truth,"

Leon coughed a little. "Have you ever kissed another boy?" He asked after a while.

"Yes." Gwaine said. He did not elaborate any further until he realised every pair of eyes was fixated on him. "I answered the question didn't I?"

"We want to know all the details," Freya proclaimed, crawling over to Gwaine. "C'mon. I had to tell mine,"

"There's nothing to tell," Gwaine said. "Fine, we were drunk. We had a snog. I woke up in bed with him in nothing but my pants,"

"You didn't fuck him did you?" Pellinore piped up, unable to keep the smile out of his voice.

"Of course I didn't fuck him!" Gwaine said.

"Did he fuck you then?" Mordred joined in with the teasing.

"What kind of man do you think I am?" Gwaine asked, though it was obvious he was starting to play along. 

"Who was it?" Freya asked, crawling closer still. 

Gwaine looked around the room, as if planning a quick escape. His eyes darted around the room until they landed on Merlin.

"Fuck off!" Freya shouted, the first to realise. "You... and Merlin? Suddenly I don't feel so bad,"

Arthur looked at Merlin. Sure enough his ears were tinted red once more and he was looking at his lap sheepishly. 

"We were drunk!" Gwaine said.

"Merlin are you a slut?" Arthur piped up suddenly. He had meant it as a joke and while Merlin looked up and laughed, Arthur thought he saw a flash of hurt in Merlin's eyes. 

"It's probably easier to count the people I haven't kissed in this room than those I have," Merlin's eyes lingered on Arthur a moment too long and though the tone was joking Arthur wondered how many people saw through the stare for what it really was. Before Arthur could go much further down that train of thought they were interrupted by a loud rumbling noise.

Leon's phone was vibrating relentlessly against the end table it sat on. He peered over at the screen. "Shit. She's ringing me."

"Put it on speaker!" Gwaine said but Leon was up and out of the room before the sentence was even finished.   
"As were unlikely to hear the reaction, what exactly did you send to my darling sister?" Arthur asked.

"I just very politely asked if Leon could motorboat her lovely, lovely titties," Merlin said gleefully. 

Arthur's eyes widened as his head was filled with images he would rather not think about. 

"She's going to kill us all," Arthur said. "She's going to kill you for sending it and she's going to kill me for allowing it. What would you know about 'lovely titties' anyway?"

"You don't have to be straight to know a nice pair of breasts when you see one," Merlin said. He was obviously having fun teasing Arthur.

"He's right, they're an amazing pair of tits," Owain said.

"Shut up about my sister's boobs!" Arthur shouted. He knew his sister was attractive but to Arthur she would always be the innocent little girl he grew up with. He really did not want to think of her in that way and he really did not want to think of his friends thinking of her in that way. 

The shout was met with a collection of giggles. 

"Give the poor guy a break," Elyan came to Arthur's rescue. Arthur thought it was probably something to do with him understanding the struggles of having an attractive sister.   
At that point, Leon came back into the room looking less traumatised that expected.

"Did she say yes?" Merlin asked gleefully.

Leon's cheeks coloured "she said she's going to kick your arse. And Arthur's for allowing it. And we're going for coffee after school on Monday,"

"You jammy git!" Gwaine cried.

Arthur groaned. The last thing he needed was his best friend bedding his sister. Though at least it was Leon and not any of the other randy bastards.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you," Arthur warned.

"It's all friendly," Leon assured him. "Scouts honour,"

After that the game continued, including Owain being forced to sit on Pellinore's lap for the remainder of the game. Elyan had to reveal his guilty pleasure; reading and writing Star Wars fan fiction. The statement was met with a mix of mocking and supportive comments and Gwen shrieking "tell me it's not porn, Elyan!"  
The true nature of Elyan's stories they did not find out because he quickly dared Percival to do a strip tease. 

As Percival wiggled about, Merlin leant forward and slapped his backside. The action was met by a playful wink.

"Careful!" Mordred warned "he'll be trying to bed you next,"

"I may be a serial snogger, but I don't bed just anyone," Merlin retorted. "As well you know, Mordred,"

There was a sudden tension in the room as the two boys stared at each other before Merlin cracked a smile "not that Percy is just anyone."

Arthur's mind raced, trying to piece together what had just happened. A lovers tiff? He didn't know and his brain couldn't keep up anymore. 

"Enough truth or dare," Gwaine said suddenly. "How about we order pizza and have a break from games,"

Pizza sounded like a fabulous idea. It might help the fuzziness that was floating around in Arthur's mind. While Gwaine was on the phone, trying to round up everyone's orders Arthur stumbled his way to the bathroom, suddenly aware of the fullness of his bladder.

He did a piss, impressed at his ability to aim after so many drinks and then splashed his face with cool water. It was only now that Arthur realised just how drunk he actually was. He clutched the side of the sink in an effort not to fall sideways and onto the floor. Just before he lost the battle, the door creaked open.

"Oh, shit. Didn't realise you were in here," Merlin's voice came from the door way.

" 'S OK. I'm done," Arthur took a tentative step, tripping over nothing in the process. Then Merlin's arms were around him, warm and soft, holding him up.

"Thanks," he mumbled "we have to stop meeting like this,"

"We do," Merlin agreed, propping Arthur up against the bathtub and closing the door. "You definitely can't hold your booze,"

Arthur scrutinised Merlin. He was still wearing Gwen's dress. "You look ridiculous," 

Merlin shrugged. "No different to usual then,"

Arthur nodded sleepily. Merlin had sunk to the floor next to him, trying to keep Arthur from flopping to the floor.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Arthur said. "When I called you a slut. I was joking."

Merlin didn't reply straight away. "I guess it did make me seem a bit promiscuous."

Arthur didn't know how to respond. He didn't want to upset Merlin. He didn't want to voice his thoughts, about how he was concerned that after Merlin's track record that Arthur would be just another notch on his bedpost, or whatever the term is used for 'serial snoggers'. Instead he stayed quiet.

"I don't want you to hate me," Merlin said suddenly.

"I don't," Arthur said. 

Another silence. Arthur's head drooped on to Merlin's chest. He could hear his heart beating. 

"I thought you didn't like me anymore," Merlin said. He was playing with the hem of Gwen's dress, exposing even more of his pale thigh. Arthur quickly averted his eyes.

"Why?"

"You didn't accept my friend request,"

Arthur couldn't hold in his laughter. 

"Don't laugh, I was really upset," Merlin said.

Arthur shook his head. "No you weren't"

"I thought I'd pissed you off. The other day. I thought I'd gone too far."

"Does Mordred know?" He asked finally.

"Know what?"

"What happened between us?" Arthur elaborated. Merlin fixed him with a strange stare.

"Why would I tell Mordred of all people?"

"He's your boyfriend?" Arthur ventured. It was Merlin's turn to laugh.

"Mordred?"

"On your profile picture. He's kissing you. You look like a couple," Arthur explained feeling his cheeks heating up as Merlin laughed even more. He shook his head.

"We had a... thing. Once. Maybe twice. It didn't work out. We stayed close friends," Merlin explained.

His eyes flickered to Arthur's face, a small smile slowly spreading across his lips. "Jealous?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"You were! You were jealous," Merlin teased, poking at Arthur's stomach.

"Maybe a bit," Arthur admitted. 

"I thought you weren't gay," Merlin mocked.

Arthur shook his head. "I'm not as a rule,"

Merlin laughed at that. "Am I the exception?"

"Something like that."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Arthur leaning his head against Merlin's chest, rising and falling in time with his breath. After a few minutes Merlin spoke.

"You better go back. They'll jump to conclusions. Apparently I've got a reputation," Merlin lifted Arthur's head and helped him to his feet.

"I suppose."

"That and I came here for a piss. My bladder's going to explode," Merlin shoved Arthur towards the door. 

*

Arthur wasn't sure if it was the chat with Merlin or the pizza but he felt much better after demolishing several slices of pepperoni. 

When Merlin came back from the bathroom, he nudged Mordred aside with his foot, settling himself between Mordred and Arthur. Mordred raised an eyebrow but did not comment. After the earlier tension, the atmosphere seemed to have returned to normal. Everyone sat gossiping and giggling. Arthur leaned his head back and sighed contentedly. Merlin and Gwen had changed back into their usual clothes, Arthur was pleased to note.

"Never have I ever?" Gwaine said after throwing out the pile of empty pizza boxes.

"Never have you ever what?" Percy asked.

"Like the game, you wanna play?" 

Everyone agreed and Gwaine set everyone up with a fresh drink. Like before, the questions started pretty tame. "Never have I ever kissed a girl," to which everyone drank. As Merlin lowered his hand, his fingers brushed the side of Arthur's leg. Arthur stiffened at the sudden contact. Even through the denim, his skin tingled.

There were a few rounds where Arthur perhaps should have drank such as "never have I ever kissed someone of the same gender." He might have been willing to admit it to himself and to his sister and partially to Merlin but Arthur was not willing to reveal things like that to his friends in such a way. Apart from a sideways glance from Merlin, he didn't show he was too bothered by Arthur's denial.

"Never have I ever touched a boob," Percy said. Most of the guys drunk, as did both girls. Arthur didn't question whether they were counting their own or not. He spluttered to himself when he realised that Merlin had taken a swig along with everyone else. Arthur decided he didn't want to know. Not tonight. 

Pretty soon, Arthur's head was spinning once more and the contents of his stomach were sloshing perilously.

"I feel sick," he groaned.

"You really are a lightweight," Merlin chuckled in his ear.

"Only because you're trying to get me drunk. Don't think I hadn't noticed."

"Caught red handed," Merlin's voice was low. Low and sexy in Arthur's ear and Arthur really had to stop thinking like that before he did something he'd regret in front of everyone. He shifted away slightly, hoping he was subtle enough that Merlin didn't notice. 

Apparently he'd moved too fast. Arthur's stomach lurched. "Sick," he said again.

He felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and heave him up. 

"Come on Pendragon," Gwaine's voice filled his ears as he was guided back into the bathroom and deposited in front of the toilet.

Gwaine clicked the door shut behind them and handed Arthur a beaker of cool water.

"Maybe drinking games wasn't the best plan," Gwaine commented after Arthur finished retching into the toilet bowel. Arthur wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and shook his head.

"Especially in a room full of people determined to make me drink," Arthur said.

"Sorry mate, we thought you needed a bit of fun," Gwaine explained.

"I did have fun," Arthur said. "It's been nice. Apart from the constant teasing and the puking of my guts."

"We all tease each other." 

"I know. I'm sorry if the lady across the road gets you into trouble," Arthur said.

"Mum doesn't give a shit," Gwaine echoed from earlier. There was a sadness to his tone that Arthur hadn't heard before.

"You ok, bud?" Arthur asked. His stomach empty he felt a lot better but he still didn't dare move.

Gwaine nodded and Arthur didn't press further. 

*   
Arthur didn't return to the living room after that. Instead, he found himself steered into one of the guest rooms. Gwaine stripped him of his shirt and tucked Arthur into bed. He placed a glass of water and painkillers on the bedside table.

"You're going to need these," he said. "Now sleep."

Arthur nodded sleepily and wrapped himself in the soft blanket.

"Thank you." 

"Good night," Gwaine flicked the light switch and left the room.

Arthur's head buzzed, images of the night swimming through in quick, fuzzy snapshots. It wasn't long before he was asleep.

He didn't know how long it was before he was woken up by the sound of the door opening.

"Arthur, you awake?" 

"I am now," Arthur groaned.

"Sorry," the door opened fully and the slender form of Merlin slipped in. "I wanted to make sure you're alright."

Arthur nodded before realising that it was dark and Merlin probably couldn't see him underneath all the blankets.

"Yeah, fine."

"Good."

Merlin lingered at the bottom of the bed.

"Was that it?" Arthur asked.

"Everyone else is going to bed," Merlin said. 

Arthur sat up, flicking the bedside lamp on. Merlin looked nervous ringing his hands and chewing his lip.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked.

"I'm not good at sleeping," Merlin admitted and then more quietly "nightmares."

Arthur felt his breath hitch in his chest. That couldn't possibly mean what Arthur thought it meant. Could it? Arthur wasn't going to jump to conclusions and held back from saying "me too." Instead he threw back the duvet. "If you want a cuddle just say so."

Merlin smiled shyly and climbed fully clothed into the single bed next to Arthur. 

"Thank you."

Merlin turned his back on Arthur, grabbing his hand and draping it over his hip. Merlin's fingers stayed interlaced with Arthur's, his thumb rubbing small circles on to the back of Arthur's hand. 

"Good night Merlin," Arthur whispered.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody! I am so sorry for how long this has taken. Assignments finally caught up with me so I've spent the past month or so constantly typing and researching essays. They're all done for now though so here is the next chapter for He Was Running. I hope it is worth the wait.

He was running. His feet slapping against flagstone floors as he tore through the castle. His castle. And the world shook around him, dust falling from the ceiling, threatening to cave in. The walls were cracking, starting to crumble. He ran, flinging himself down a spiral staircase. Large chunks of stone were falling, missing him by inches as his home crumbled around him. Where was everyone else? It was usually bustling with activity, but now he was trapped and alone in his collapsing castle. He could see the door, metres ahead. He was nearly out. The world gave an almighty shudder and the door was gone, hidden behind piles of rock and rubble. He screamed in frustration. And then it stopped. The world stopped shaking and the castle stopped crumbling and he was engulfed by a pair of warm, strong arms holding him tight. Stroking his hair, stroking his back. Everything was alright.

"Arthur, are you alright?"

Arthur's eyes fluttered open, his heart still hammering a tattoo against his ribcage. The blurry image of Merlin hovered somewhere above him, concern etched across his features. 

"Mmm. Bad dream," Arthur grunted, struggling to sit up. His head hurt and the movement caused the room to spin. He felt a pair of arms snake around his torso as Merlin leaned his head on Arthur's shoulder. He didn't speak, just holding Arthur until his breathing had slowed. 

It was only then than Arthur realised the strangeness of the situation. He was in bed with Merlin. Cuddling like a couple. Hazy events from the night before swam through Arthur's head. He remembered inviting Merlin into the bed and much to Arthur's relief they were both in the same state of dress as then. 

Merlin smiled up at him lazily. "It's still early."

Arthur felt Merlin's fingertips brush against his thigh. He wasn't sure whether it had been on purpose or not, but his skin still tingled at the light contact through his jeans. He shuddered involuntarily. Merlin must have noticed because he looked back up at Arthur, his lazy smile splitting into a mischievous grin. Before Arthur realised what was happening, Merlin's hand was back on his thigh, tracing patterns across the denim of his trousers. 

His cock was already hard, a combination of morning wood and the proximity of Merlin; something that Arthur had tried to ignore upon waking. Now, at the light touch it strained painfully against his jeans, aching to get out. He wondered if Merlin was in a similar state, his breath hitching at the thought. Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Merlin's smirk twitch. Merlin snuggled a little closer, letting his head drop back onto Arthur's shoulder.

Arthur didn't know what to do. He wanted this. Oh God, he wanted this so much. He wanted Merlin on top of him, underneath him, squirming against him in ecstasy. Still, alarm bells rang in the back of his mind. This was dangerous. His friends were still scattered around the house, maybe even in the next room. And still Merlin's fingers traced patterns over Arthur's thigh. Arthur didn't know whether to bat Merlin's hand away or to drag it the extra few inches to his already aching cock. 

Arthur placed his hand over Merlin's, lacing their fingers. Merlin's fingers ceased moving and he glanced at Arthur, mischievous smile replaced with worry. 

"Sorry-" Merlin began moving hand away.

"No," Arthur replied, mouth dry. "It's OK."

Merlin smiled shyly; an expression that Arthur had never seen cross Merlin's face. It made Arthur's stomach flip and his heart flutter. Merlin's lips parted fractionally. He was close, so close. Arthur could feel the small puffs of Merlin's breath against his own lips. With only millimetres between them, Merlin paused, his eyes flicking towards Arthur's as if asking for permission. 

Arthur inclined his head a fraction. Then Merlin was on top of him, straddling Arthur's lap and closing the gap between them. He could taste the remnants of last night's booze and though not unpleasant Arthur suddenly became self conscious of his own morning breath. He pulled his head backwards. Merlin, however, seemed not to care, chasing Arthur's lips and capturing them roughly with his own once more and flushing all concerns from Arthur's mind. 

Merlin's hands were against Arthur's bare chest, running up and down and playing with the fine trail of hair scattered across it. Arthur wound his own arms around Merlin, pulling him closer and trapping Merlin's hands between their bodies. He snaked his hand beneath Merlin's T-shirt, stroking at the warm soft flesh beneath, suddenly desperate to feel Merlin's flesh against his own. He tugged at the thin fabric and Merlin instantly understood. Arthur heard himself whine as Merlin pulled back, hurriedly removing the offending garment. Merlin must have heard as well as he licked his lips, teasing smile firmly back in place. His dark hair, already tousled from sleep was ruffled even more so by the T-shirt. Arthur barely had time to drink in the sight before Merlin was assaulting his lips once more; licking and nibbling and driving Arthur insane with want.

He was trailing his fingers down Arthur's side causing Arthur to shudder. The feeling of Merlin's chest pressed against his own; warm and smooth and naked. Arthur couldn't quite wrap his mind around the fact that this was happening. That Merlin, the skinny, awkward looking guy from the college with the worst reputation in the area was sat astride Arthur's lap practically riding him. The fact that Arthur wasn't stopping him. That Arthur was kissing him back greedily, sliding his own finger's down the curve of Merlin's spine.  
Merlin responded to the touch with a quiet groan into Arthur's lips, arching his back slightly and bringing his hips forward. 

A small gasp escaped Arthur's lips as the sudden shift of movement brought Merlin into the perfect position against Arthur's cock, still straining to break free from its denim prison. He could feel Merlin smiling against his lips, knowing exactly what effect he was having on Arthur and grinding his hips again. He pulled away from Arthur's lips slowly, bright blue eyes raking him up and down before settling on Arthur's own. 

He was smirking again. That insanely sexy, teasing smirk that made Arthur know that Merlin was aware just how much he was driving him crazy. That Merlin got off on driving him crazy. He rolled his hips once more, licking his lips as Arthur bit down on his own.

"You like that?" Merlin's voice was little more than a whisper in Arthur's ear.

Arthur nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak. He could feel Merlin's warm breath against his neck, his lips grazing the sensitive skin as he moved against Arthur's body. It was Merlin's turn to gasp against Arthur's throat as Arthur's hips began bucking of their own accord, matching Merlin's movements. 

Merlin's lips were back on Arthur's, the kiss swallowing most of their moans. Arthur's hands found their way to Merlin's hips guiding his movements as they became more erratic, more desperate. He could feel Merlin's cock against his stomach, long and hard. It was too much. He was about to lose himself and Arthur knew he would not last much longer.

There was a knock on the door. The pair instantly stilled, staring at each other wide eyed. Then Merlin wordlessly catapulted himself across the room and onto the neatly made bed opposite Arthur's. He had been too drunk the previous night to realise that this was in fact a twin room and far too preoccupied this morning to care. 

Arthur tugged the blanket over himself quickly as Merlin attempted to do the same. Just as they were both covered the door swung open. Gwen strode in wearing what Arthur thought was Lance's shirt from the night before. Her dark curls stuck up at odd angles and she looked half asleep. 

Wordlessly, she padded over to the bottom of Merlin's bed and plonked herself down. 

"Morning Gwen," Merlin muttered. He was glancing around and Arthur realised he was looking for his T-shirt. He also a second too late realising it still lay at the foot of Arthur's bed. 

"Geez Merlin, are you always this messy?" Arthur said, trying to sound annoyed as he balled up the T-shirt and threw it across the room. It wasn't too difficult. After all he was annoyed. Annoyed that Gwen had interrupted a perfectly good make out session. Though he was simultaneously pleased that she had saved him from finishing in his pants. He felt his cheeks warm as he imagined Merlin's reaction if he did. He'd never hear the end of it. Particularly as he hadn't even managed to get his jeans off.

Merlin shot Arthur a wide eyed glare, though thankfully Gwen didn't seem to notice.

"Yes, he is," Gwen answered for him. "You should see his bedroom."

Arthur tried not to look at Merlin or to give away that he would absolutely love to see Merlin's bedroom, though he didn't care how messy it was. As long as they could get to the bed. 

"Merlin, are you okay?" Gwen asked suddenly. It was only then that Arthur realised the flush spreading across Merlin's cheeks and ears. His hair ruffled in all directions and his chest heaving as he breathed ever so slightly too quickly. 

"Yeah, fine," Merlin said a little too quickly. 

Gwen's eyes flicked over to Arthur and he hoped that he was not in the same state as Merlin. 

"I had another dream," Merlin blurted out, dragging Gwen's gaze back to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gwen asked, fussing over him slightly. Her features softened and Arthur wondered if this was a regular occurrence. That Merlin hadn't been lying to get into bed with him the night before.

Merlin shook his head. "It's fine."

"Maybe later?" she asked and Merlin nodded in agreement. 

Her eyes wandered back over to Arthur, looking him up and down. A small knowing smile grew on her lips and Arthur knew then that he was just as dishevelled as Merlin. 

"Gwaine sent me. He's making bacon."

With that Merlin jumped out of bed and slid his T-shirt back on.

"I'll catch you up," Arthur said. "Need a pee."

Gwen was the first to leave the room, rolling her eyes good naturedly at the information Arthur had blurted. Arthur was infinitely grateful that she hadn't voiced any suspicions she may or may not have but his stomach coiled at the thought that she might let something slip in front of everyone else.

Merlin was a little slower in leaving, making sure Arthur was watching him as he left the door. His eyes travelled up and down Arthur's body once more as he licked his lips and blew a kiss. Then he raised his hand, moving it back and forth in a brisk motion and letting out a laugh and disappearing. 

Arthur's cock, forever the traitor, gave a twitch at the sight. Merlin was calling him a wanker, obviously aware of what Arthur was really about to do in the bathroom. He couldn't help but imagine those long fingers wrapped around his cock. There was no way this hard on was going down on its own. 

He waited until the soft footsteps of Gwen and Merlin had faded away before jumping out of the bed, hastily pulling his T-shirt over his head. After making sure the coast was clear he made a mad dash; half run half waddle across the hallway and into the bathroom. 

After locking the door he leaned against it for a moment, trying to slow the beating of his heart and his heavy breathing. There was only a moment of hesitation before he was unbuttoning his jeans and yanking at the zipper, hissing softly to himself as he finally sprung free from the denim jail.

He finished embarrassingly quickly, palming himself as he leaned against the cool sink, white knuckled and red faced. 

As he cleaned himself up he couldn't help but feel not quite satisfied. Somehow he knew he would be hard again the second Merlin shot him that knowing and mischievous look that he was becoming so accustomed to. The fact that Merlin knew exactly what Arthur was doing right now didn't help. Arthur tried not to think about it. 

He sidled into the kitchen a few minutes later, hoping that his feigned casualness was not too forced. 

"There he is, sleeping beauty!" Gwaine's voice rang out as Arthur closed the door behind him. 

Gwaine was wearing the same apron as last time over a bare chest as he watched a sizzling pan. 

"How's the head?" Leon asked as Arthur plonked himself next to him. 

"Not as bad as expected," Arthur answered, realising his lack of churning stomach and pounding head. 

He glanced around the room. Everyone from the previous night was still there crammed around the table and leaning on every available surface. It was much quieter than the previous night, those that were speaking used hushed tones. One or two people were holding their heads and looking a little sorry for themselves. Arthur felt a small amount of triumph that he was not amongst the hung over.

A hot mug containing coffee was pushed into his hands. He looked up to see Gwen smiling warmly, her brown eyes twinkling with something Arthur couldn't quite read. He stuttered a thanks, the memory of fifteen minutes prior flashing traitorously through his mind. He didn't know how likely it was that Merlin would have said something. He doubted it, the way Merlin had leapt away at the sound of the door. But there were BFFs. Weren't BFFs supposed to share anything and everything? Besides, Gwen had been mere seconds away from walking in on them full on dry humping. She didn't seem stupid. Arthur wanted to chance a glance at Merlin but he resisted lest Gwen read any further into anything. Instead he carefully avoided Merlin's gaze, angling his back towards him.

He was probably being paranoid anyway. 

He took a deep gulp of coffee and turned away striking up a conversation with Percy about their P.E. A level. He wasn't really in the mood to discuss school but anything to get the lingering thoughts of Merlin's lips out of his head would do.

All the while something in the back of his mind screamed at Arthur he was being stupid. He didn't know why he was behaving the way he was. He had admitted his feelings to Morgana and by extension to himself. He was pretty sure Merlin was well aware by now how Arthur felt. But there was a faint sense of dread eating away at Arthur that told him it was best for everyone involved if he just stayed quiet. He knew full well he was running from himself, from who he was and from what he wanted but the alternative terrified Arthur. 

He had always been Arthur; model student, amazing footballer and perfect son. It terrified him that one slip up and all of that would be erased. He would be known as Arthur; the one who fucks boys, the faggot or, and Arthur's chest tightened as the thought ran through his mind, the disappointment. 

As he half-listened to Percy babbling about his coursework, bright-eyed and enthusiastic in a way only Percy could, Arthur felt a prickling on the back of his neck. Almost instantly, he knew that someone was watching him intently, their eyes attempting to burn a hole in the back of his head. 

He twitched his head slightly to the side and was not surprised to find Merlin watching him, long fingers curling around the handle of a steaming, dark blue mug. What did surprise Arthur was the expression on Merlin's face. Devoid of the cheerful mischief or the teasing smile that drove Arthur insane. The sparkle that usually resided in Merlin's eye replaced by a cool, hard glare. It took him a second to realise that Arthur was looking back at him. Merlin hastily forced his mouth into a smile; much too wide and not meeting his eyes before turning abruptly and striking up a conversation with Mordred.

There was a pain in Arthur's chest as his heart plummeted. He didn't know what he'd done to warrant that kind of look from Merlin but it hurt in ways Arthur didn't know possible. That was a lie though. He could guess what had upset Merlin. Gwaine's warning from what seemed a lifetime ago flashed through Arthur's mind. Gwaine had warned him to leave Merlin out of his experiments. That Merlin was fragile. Whatever that meant. 

Arthur's chest constricted at the thought of hurting Merlin. The boy who seemed confident and cocky. The boy who was when Arthur really thought about it leading him on. Was it all an act? To cover up his true feelings, whatever they may be. Could Arthur carry on doing what he was doing if deep down he was hurting Merlin? Or should he put a stop to this right now and walk away before anyone's feelings were too badly damaged? There was a third option. To come out to everyone. The thought made Arthur feel physically sick. Then again so did the other two options.

"I need to leave," Arthur announced during a lull in the conversation. He didn't quite wait for a response before he strode out, purposefully heading for the front door. He knew it looked weird. He knew people would talk, but right at that moment he didn't care. 

He was halfway down the driveway when a he felt a firm grip on his arm. 

"Arthur, what's going on?" Gwaine's voice was low, concern evident.

"Nothing. I'm just needed at home."

"Bullshit," Gwaine snorted. "You're not leaving until you talk to me."

Arthur huffed, knowing better than to call Gwaine's bluff. Images of his smiling, handsome face popping over the toilet door when Arthur had refused to talk last time swam across Arthur's mind. Gwaine tugged gently on his arm. Arthur followed, arms crossed across his chest like a sulking child. 

He couldn't help but wonder whether those left in the kitchen were straining their ears to find out just what had got Arthur in a huff. 

They ended up in Gwaine's bedroom, far away from the kitchen. Gwaine clicked the door shut behind him and then spun to face Arthur, hands on his hips.

"What happened?" Gwaine asked, more assertive this time. Though his voice was harsher than before, Gwaine's dark eyes still radiated a friendly warmth. Arthur got the impression that Gwaine wasn't here to take sides. He simply cared for his friends, whether they were lifelong friendships like he and Merlin or had only known each other a month or so. 

Despite that, Arthur found himself shrugging stubbornly.

"I'm not as idiotic as I look you know," Gwaine said, smiling slightly. 

Arthur shrugged again. He didn't do this. He had his friends and as a rule they didn't talk about feelings or anything like that. Arthur had always thought that stuff was for girls. That's what his father had taught him any time Arthur had come crying, whether it be a scraped knee or a failed test. He'd soon learned that his feelings were something not to put on display. Don't talk about them. Don't show them. It just wasn't done. 

That was why when put on the spot like this Arthur clammed up.

It was different with Morgana. He could talk to her. She'd always been the one to nurse his scraped knees and boost his confidence after a failed test. She could read him and she knew exactly what buttons to press, how far to push.

It was different with Merlin too. He had let his guard slip with Merlin. Somehow it just seemed so easy. That was the problem. 

"It's nothing," Arthur said at last. His tone sounded harsh, foreign to his own ears.

Gwaine plonked himself on the bed. "Come on mate. You'd have to be blind to miss the tension in there."

Arthur felt himself grimacing. He thought he'd been doing well, managed to play it cool. Until he started receiving death glares from Merlin and completely freaked out. Again. 

When Arthur didn't answer Gwaine spoke again. "Did you and Merlin fight?"

Arthur had to bite back the laugh that threatened to erupt. 

"We didn't fight."

He was aware of Gwaine studying his face, making up his mind as to whether Arthur was speaking the truth.  
"I'm pretty sure Merlin will tell me if I ask him," 

"We didn't fight," Arthur repeated firmly. He watched Gwaine's expression, waiting for the moment when everything Arthur wasn't saying would click into place. Arthur was not disappointed, all at once Gwaine's eyebrows shot upwards, getting lost somewhere in his fringe. His mouth formed a small 'o' shape, which was precisely the noise he made.

"Oh."

"Oh." Arthur repeated.

"You slept with him? After what I said?" Gwaine hissed, the friendly warmth of his eyes receding, giving way to a tiny flicker of anger.

"No." Arthur said shortly. 

Gwaine's brow creased in confusion. Arthur had never known anyone with the ability to change expression so rapidly. 

"Then what?"

"I kissed him. No. He kissed me. But I didn't say no," Arthur said, carefully making sure he left out the parts about Merlin riding him and Arthur being seconds away from soiling his boxers. That was a conversation for another time. Or never.

Gwaine sighed heavily though he didn't comment. 

"Really, it's Merlin's choice who he fucks or whatever," Arthur said.

"I know. I just don't want him to get hurt," Gwaine said softly. "The last thing he needs is a straight guy stringing him along."

Arthur laughed. "You're about the last person in the world to think I'm straight."

"And are you?"

There it was. The big question that was on everybody's lips. Arthur's chance to speak the words out loud. To admit everything to everyone.

"I like attractive people," Arthur said after a while. "Does it matter what gender they are?"

Gwaine let out a low whistle. "You've changed your tune. What happened?"

"Merlin happened I guess," Arthur knew how cheesy it sounded, mentally kicking himself as the words left his lips. Gwaine was kind enough not to laugh.

"So if you like attractive people, does that mean you fancy me?" Gwaine asked, the warmth fully returned to his smile.

"Don't flatter yourself Orkney," Arthur smiled. 

"Psshhh." After a moment Gwaine continued, "he really likes you. He never shuts up about what a twat you are but he fancies the pants off of you."

Arthur's stomach jolted as the butterflies woke up and started their dance around his insides. Hearing confirmation from someone else made everything seem much more real. Even though Arthur knew how much Merlin liked him. Even though he'd felt just how much Merlin liked him, pressed up against his stomach, writhing and panting in his ear.

Arthur couldn't stop the grin as he said "I really like him too. I just need to go about things in my own time."

Gwaine nodded. "Just don't fuck it up."

Arthur smiled and thanked his friend, not daring to say that he probably already had. He needed to talk to Merlin. Set the record straight and figure out where they would go from here. 

When Arthur returned to the kitchen it was to a significantly smaller group than before. 

"You alright bud?" Leon asked.

"Yeah. Upset stomach," the lie dripped off of his tongue far too easily. He felt dirty.

Leon fixed him with a look. Arthur knew Leon knew he was lying. He also knew Leon wasn't about to push anything. If the others didn't buy Arthur's excuse they didn't show any signs of it. 

"Merlin had to leave," Leon said, still watching Arthur carefully. 

Arthur nodded, trying not to let his shoulders tense too much. "The others go with him?"

Gwen, Lance, Freya, Mordred and Elyan had all vanished too. 

"Mhmm." 

Silence settled between them for a few seconds, a vague uneasiness hanging in the air. Arthur knew it was his fault. He fished around for a change of subject.

"I can't believe you've got a date with my fucking sister!" He kept the tone light and it was met with laughs and wolf whistles from the rest of the group. This was better. Back to familiar territory.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody! I would like to apologise again for how long it has taken me to get this chapter written up. Life is currently extremely hectic and much more demanding than I would like. I write every opportunity I have but unfortunately my free time is very limited lately. Hope you all enjoy this latest chapter.

He was running. Tearing through a large field of wheat, bending the crop as he ran. He knew the farmers would not be happy with him, despite his level of importance. They could be scary. But right now they were the least of his worries. 

Something whizzed past his ear, grazing it. He slapped his hand over said ear and put on another spurt of speed. He could hear them behind him. They were quiet, but they made the wheat rustle as they passed through. Every so often there was soft whoosh as another projectile soared past him. He looked up in time to see an arrow narrowly miss scalping him. It was on fire. He could smell the burnt hair where the flames had licked as it travelled by. 

They were upping their game. It was time to panic. He turned to face them, still walking backwards.

A wall a skeletal archers grinned back at him, their black eye sockets each encompassing a tiny blue pin prick of light, like a far off star. As one they raised their bows and took aim. He let out a roar, charging towards the wall of undead. His sword raised above his head. He was aware that it would be little use against a fleshless army. This was it.

There was a flash of light. An angry shout in a harsh, foreign tongue. An almighty rumble as the wall of bones caved in upon itself, turning to dust before his eyes.

He turned to see the dark haired, pale face he knew so well. His eyes, alive with fury no longer a vivid and hypnotising blue but shining bright and gold. His heart hammered against his ribcage as the man strode over and took him in his arms.

Arthur woke up sweating. His legs were once more tangled in the bedsheets. He struggled to free himself as he gasped for air. 

The image of Merlin with his eyes on fire, so powerful and threatening scared Arthur a little. It also scared him that Arthur kind of liked it. The fact that dream Merlin was protecting Arthur made Arthur's heart hammer more so, though not through fear. It also made Arthur's heart sink.

It was Wednesday morning. Days since Gwaine's get together. Days since the whole 'humping incident' as Arthur was now referring to it in his mind. He hadn't heard from Merlin. The moment Arthur had gotten home he had raced to his laptop to accept the friend request that still sat there smiling up at him. He'd sent Merlin a private message. Just a 'hi. U OK?'. An attempt to seem casual. It had been marked as seen almost immediately but Merlin hadn't replied.

He hadn't tried again. Not wanting to come across as desperate. If Merlin was bothered he would answer in his own time. In the mean time, Arthur was going to forget about the whole thing and move on. 

It would be a damn sight easier if Arthur could stop dreaming about the boy. Images of Merlin had plagued his dreams before they had even met. It seemed unlikely they would go away now. 

Arthur slipped out of bed and went around his usual morning routine. He carefully completed each step, trying and failing not to think about Merlin in any way shape or form. 

Most of the morning passed without note. He joked with the guys during registration and break time. He threw himself into his work during lessons, earning a few raised eyebrows and amused smiles from his teachers. He even sucked it up and flirted with some of the girls; Vivian included. If he was going to move on and forget about Merlin he was going to do it properly. 

The exchanges, however, left him feeling empty and wrong. Something wasn't right and Arthur knew it was because none of them were him. 

"What are you doing?" Leon hissed at lunch time as Arthur winked at some blonde that had been making eyes at him from across the room.

Arthur shrugged. "Having a little fun. You should try it."

"This isn't you," Leon stated. "You've been in a strange mood all week but today you are something else."

He knew that Leon was right though he didn't particularly want to admit that to Leon's face. Instead he opted with changing the subject.

"Come on, we're going to be late for practice," Arthur said. He could practically hear the eye roll that Leon gave as he turned his back. Arthur was forever thankful that although Leon knew when to talk some sense into Arthur, he also knew when it was appropriate to push things. 

At football practice things had almost returned back to normal. After the initial rumours of Arthur's sexuality had died down and Arthur subsequently hadn't accosted anyone in the changing room the snide remarks and side long glances had also more or less disappeared. There had always been and always would be a certain level of banter between the team, a lot of which to Arthur's annoyance was verging on if not flat out homophobic. He was learning to grit his teeth and bare it for now, though when he really thought about it, there was definitely less usage of words like 'pansy' and 'faggot'. Perhaps people were censoring themselves around him after all. 

Arthur didn't know which he preferred; overtly homophobic remarks or people altering their behaviour because of their perceptions of him. He changed quickly and quietly and in an attempt to stop over thinking threw himself into practice as well. He didn't think he had tried so hard in all his life. Arthur enjoyed football, but that was it. A bit of fun. Now it became something more, a distraction. A release of pent up frustration. 

He could hear the team cheering him on as he dribbled the ball away from his opponents. A quick glance to the sidelines showed him that even Valiant looked impressed, his usual sneer replaced by a raised eyebrow and a smile. 

By the end of practise Arthur was panting, soaked in sweat and grime though he felt better than he had all week. He received a few claps on the back from his buddies as they gathered up their equipment and jogged back to the changing room.

"Pendragon! A word," the coach's voice rang out across the field. Arthur groaned. This was never good; Valiant was renowned for his cruel punishments.

"Yes sir?"

"I've never seen you play like that," he said, his face unreadable. Arthur was unsure how to reply. Valiant carried on. "I want to see you play like that every week. Now I know you actually do possess talent and obviously have been holding back every time I've seen you play. Enough with the laziness."

Arthur nodded. "Yes sir. Thank you sir."

"Now I know you're competent if I catch you slacking again it will be laps for you. Understand Pendragon?"

Arthur nodded.

"Good. Now have a shower."

Arthur was relieved to be dismissed. He didn't quite know what to make of that exchange. It had been praise. But it had been masking a thinly veiled threat. While he ought to feel pleased, Coach Valiant's words did not fill Arthur will confidence.

The classes that afternoon were much the same. Arthur worked hard, listening to the teachers and intently taking notes. He poured over textbooks and typed furiously at the computer. He did get a few strange looks, being only a month or so into the year but no one commented, deciding that Arthur was preparing for their upcoming exams that January. They were still a lifetime away, so it seemed, but the thought was as good a distraction as any. 

At home, things were not so easy. Arthur finished his homework in under an hour. That was when his mind began to wander. He thought about the message he had sent to Merlin. He debated whether or not Merlin would have finally replied. Should Arthur try again? He thought not. He would come across as creepy and desperate when obviously Merlin was done with him. Arthur decided not to check his laptop, instead busying himself with a selection of computer games, his frustration manifesting in the form of headshots. 

This routine carried on for another week. He knew his friends were getting concerned as both Leon and Percy attempted to talk to Arthur a handful of times each. Arthur couldn't quite tell if they knew the subject of Arthur's frustrations as both were being cryptic and seemed to be treading lightly.

As time passed conversation turned towards Halloween. Discussion of costumes and parties floated around the school hallways. Many expectant eyes turned in Gwaine's direction, hoping that after his birthday he would be planning another house party. In response he just shrugged and muttered something about visiting a friend.

Arthur had been invited to a party hosted by Vivian. He was sure that it was only due to their father's friendship but her smile had seemed genuine as she handed him the envelope. It was annoyingly filled with tiny green and purple confetti ghosts. Arthur found himself picking them out of his tie for hours. He had muttered his thanks, but was already working on his excuses before she had even turned her back. 

"You going to Viv's then?" Owain asked later that same day.

"Might show my face. Nothing better to do," Arthur shrugged attempting to appear casual. "You?"

Owain shrugged back. "Might do if nothing better comes up."

Arthur hummed in agreement. He hoped something would crop up. He had been slightly disappointed when Gwaine had announced that he wouldn't be hosting an event. That significantly lowered the odds of whatever event Arthur attended being open to the college gang. Arthur wanted to see Merlin. He couldn't deny it. He also was starting to enjoy the company Lance and Gwen and all the others.

Arthur considered hosting a party himself, but the thought of his father's reactions put him off immediately. Uther would not take kindly to loud music, underage drinking and scantily clad teenagers running about his home. He would take even less kindly upon learning that some of the guests were from 'less fortunate backgrounds'. Arthur could imagine the vein bulging and throbbing in his father's temple as his face tuned an unpleasant shade of puce. Better avoid that. 

He wasn't even sure that he wanted to attend a Halloween party. Though he knew if he didn't it would be one more night moping and feeling sorry for himself. Arthur decided he was going to put himself out there. Fake it until you make it, that was what people said and that was what Arthur was going to do. He was going to fake confidence and happiness until not even Arthur himself could deny it.

The powers of the universe, however, appeared determined to wear Arthur down. Barely a day after he had consciously made the decision, he received a phone call.

The first time, he did not recognise the number flashing on his call ID and therefore he ignored it, continuing with his computer game. Killing bad guys was more important than phone calls from random numbers. If it was important they would leave a message. Though as he continued plowing down monsters, the mysterious number nagged at the back of his mind. He sighed and hit pause, leaning over to check for messages.

Nothing. 

Just as he set the phone down again it began to buzz. It was the same number again, and Arthur's stomach flipped with a inexplicable anxiety. Or perhaps it was excitement. He couldn't tell. After several rings he snatched the phone up.

"Arthur Pendragon speaking," he greeted.

There was a laugh at the other end of the line. "He's even more of a posh tosser on the phone."

Arthur's heart soared and his stomach dropped all at once. The voice, unmistakably belonged to Merlin. The sound of his voice, even if it was mocking filled Arthur with excitement.  
There was a murmur in the background, low and unintelligible. Before Arthur managed to gather his thoughts, Merlin had ploughed on.

"So I've got Gwaine here with a gun to my head."

"I do not have a gun!" The voice in the background, still muffled but distinctly belonging to Gwaine chimed in. 

"A metaphorical gun," Merlin carried on, still not allowing Arthur to get a word in. His mind whirred. What could this be about? What had Gwaine said to break the silence from Merlin? "He says I've got to get my head out of my ass and talk to you. Apparently you're acting strangely."

Arthur wanted to snap back that he wasn't acting strangely, and even if it was it had nothing to do with Merlin. He held his tongue knowing both statements would be outright lies. He made a mental note to have a word with Gwaine about confidentiality. Perhaps also a brief thanks, depending on the outcome of this situation. Again, Merlin continued before Arthur's tongue was fully in gear.

"Anyway, we thought some excitement might pull you out of whatever's going on in your head. I'm having a party on Halloween. Fancy dress. Come if you want. Whatever. You know where I live. Alright. That's it. Bye."

As Merlin continued, his speech became much more rapid. There was a click and the line went dead before Arthur could even reply. He couldn't help but smile at Merlin's nervousness. He wondered just how much Gwaine had forced Merlin. Arthur didn't think that Merlin would have relented if he didn't want Arthur to come. 

He saved the contact, refraining only just from adding a heart next to Merlin's name. They weren't at that stage quite yet. Plus that wasn't exactly Arthur's style. He did, however, reply via text, signing off with a kiss. It didn't help his attempt to be cool with a noncommittal 'Cool. Might see you then,' but Arthur found he didn't care as much as he expected. 

Now he just needed to find a costume. 

**  
Halloween arrived, for once in the middle of half term much to the delight of everyone at school. Vivian was a little miffed at the reveal that Arthur and his friends would not be attending her party, though her annoyance soon turned to amusement upon learning that the host was some 'loser college kid'. Arthur was amused himself, at least he was more likely to have fun at Merlin's party rather than having to pretend to fit in. 

Arthur sat at his desk scrutinising the make up palette in front of him. Morgana had helped him pick it out; all greys, greens, purples and reds for that perfect undead finish. The trouble was he had no idea where to start. Usually Arthur slapped on a pile of fake blood or a bunch of related accessories, but this year he found himself caring. He wanted to make an effort. 

Morgana was getting ready in her own room. There was a high possibility that Morgause would also be present as Arthur knew they were going out together that night. The thought of asking Morgana for help while Morgause was there frightened Arthur a little. He could imagine the mocking tone of her voice not anything like the playful mocking of Merlin. There was no other way to put it: Morgause was intimidating. On the other hand, she was fiercely loyal and protective of her sister and Arthur respected that. He would just rather have nothing to do with her. 

The palette sat reflecting the light, twinkling and taunting Arthur's complete cluelessness. There really was no other option, unless he wanted to look absolutely ridiculous. Besides, Morgause may have even seen fit to lend a helping hand. Her everyday eyeliner could perhaps pass for typical Halloween make up. Arthur felt a little guilty for the thought, though perhaps not as bad as he could have. He did however decide to keep that one to himself lest he feel her wrath. 

From behind Morgana's door Arthur could hear soft music playing. It stopped the moment he knocked, though it was a moment or two before the door creaked open. Morgana answered wrapped in a fluffy white towel. Her long hair hung wet around her shoulders and she held a hairdryer in her hand.

"You do pick your moments," she said, her small smirk showing Arthur she was teasing.

"I'll come back later," Arthur said.

"What's the matter?" Morgana asked as she placed her hand on Arthur's arm. A silent instruction not to leave. 

"I..." It was not exactly in Arthur's nature to ask for help. Instead he shrugged, holding up the palette. Morgana's eyes widened and her smile grew.

"Come in then," she said. The door opened fully, confirming Arthur's suspicions about Morgause being present. She was draped over Morgana's swivel chair, her feet up on the desk and sporting a pair of dangerously high shiny black heels. She nodded towards Arthur but remained silent, in the middle of applying copious amounts of eyeliner. Morgause was dressed from head to toe in tight black leather leaving very little to the imagination. Arthur had to remind himself of their mutual disdain for a second, plus the fact that they were practically related. 

Morgana beckoned Arthur towards her bed, gesturing for him to take a seat.

"What do you want me to do?" Morgana asked, brandishing a makeup brush in Arthur's direction. Again he shrugged. 

"You're the expert," he said. "Do what you want."

There was a laugh from Morgause. "Don't tell her that!"

"Don't worry brother, I'll be gentle," Morgana said, opening her own makeup box and patting her chin with the handle of her brush in contemplation.

Arthur had always known that Morgana took care of herself, though in a way her beauty had always appeared effortless. So when she pulled out a number of utensils and contraptions Arthur's surprise must have been evident. Morgana let out a tinkling laugh, holding up something that looked like a torture device.

"What's that for?" He asked, hoping that Morgana wasn't going to shove it anywhere unsavoury.

"Eyelash curlers," she answered. "They're not for you."

Arthur barely suppressed the sigh of relief as Morgause reached across and grabbed the torture device.

"You're having too much fun," Arthur said. "Come on. Get this over with."

True to her word, Morgana was gentle with Arthur. She even refrained from applying sparkly lipgloss, though if her smile had anything to do with it she had definitely considered it.

"Close your eyes," she instructed finally. Arthur obeyed, feeling something wet across his face. "It holds it in place. I am not having my masterpiece smudge."

"Your masterpiece?" Arthur questioned, his tone slightly teasing.

Wordlessly, Morgana handed Arthur a mirror. He glanced in, having to do a double take. His skin was grey, cheeks hollow and eyes looking sunken complete with dark circles. He had a gash across his cheek from which deep red blood oozed. Purple-green bruises shone on his jaw and forehead. He had to remind himself that it wasn't real, particularly the thick blood dribbling from his mouth. Morgana had outdone herself.

"Thanks, it's amazing" he said. "I'll let you get ready now."

"You owe me!" Morgana called as Arthur left the room. He couldn't help but smile to himself.

Back in his room, Arthur dressed quickly. He crossed to his en suite for one last check of the final product. Staring back at him was an undead American football player. He had put a lot of effort into the costume, even getting 'Pendragon' printed on the back of his jersey. For the first time in weeks Arthur felt good. 

In his eagerness, Arthur was ready far too early. He paced around his room for a while at a loss for what to do. Eventually he wandered onto the landing in time to see Morgana and Morgause about to descend the stairs. Morgause had completed her look of tight black leather with a set of fake fangs and what was hopefully equally as fake blood. Morgana was also all in black, but a long dress. Her hair was wild and teased high. The sight made Arthur feel a little uncomfortable, but he was unsure why. Perhaps because he was used to Morgana being impeccable without a hair out of place. 

"Have a good night brother," Morgana called over her shoulder. Again, Morgause only nodded.

"You too," Arthur replied, returning the nod.

**  
Arthur met Gwaine a few streets away from Merlin's house. 

"Another zombie, eh?" Gwaine called upon seeing Arthur's costume. He opened his arms wide, displaying his own blood soaked pirate outfit. 

"American footballer actually," Arthur replied.

"But of the undead variety," Gwaine reminded. "Welcome to the club."

"Well I had to make the outfit at least a little scary," Arthur smiled as they began walking.

"Dunno mate. I'm guessing American football players can be a little scary already," Gwaine said taking a swig from the bottle in his hand.

"Starting early?"

"Every good pirate needs a bottle of rum," Gwaine grinned, showing off his teeth. "Merlin's going to love your costume. Did you plan it with him?"

"What?" Arthur asked. He had no idea what Gwaine meant. In fact he hadn't spoken to Merlin since the phone call.

Gwaine gave a small laugh. "I'll let you see for yourself."

They walked a little while longer, finally arriving at Merlin's house. The garden was decorated with a fake graveyard, complete with rubber rotting hands sprouting from under a couple of the graves. The decorations had a homemade feel to them. In Arthur's opinion that made it even better. He could feel the smile slowly spreading across his lips as images of Merlin and the woman he had seen last time he was here sat painting a collection on cardboard gravestones. Arthur could feel Gwaine's eyes on him, a bemused sort of expression on his face.

"This is going to be unlike any party I've ever been to," Arthur explained. 

Gwaine grinned and knocked on the door.

If Arthur had thought attending a party at Gwaine's had been stepping out of his comfort zone, this was another league entirely. Arthur hated to think the colour that Uther would turn if he realised exactly where he was. But at that moment Arthur didn't care. The house may have been small and it may have needed a lick of paint here and there but even before the door was opened he could feel a warmth radiating from inside. 

The door opened to reveal Gwen beaming up at them. She was dressed in a pair of high waisted shorts, a black vest top tooled into them. Her cheeks were painted with two lines of fake blood. Slung across her back was a plastic machete and a toy gun holstered at her hip. 

"Gwaine!" She greeted the pirate with a hug before flinging herself onto Arthur. "So glad you could make it."

"Me too. You look nice."

Gwen laughed. "I wasn't exactly aiming for nice. But thank you"

"Sexy?" Gwaine guessed. It was met by an eyeroll from Gwen.

"I was thinking more badass."

"You definitely achieved it. I definitely don't want to get in a fight with you." Gwaine carried on. 

Arthur nodded and chuckled his agreement. They shuffled into the hallway discussing their costumes in more detail. Gwen as it turned out was a zombie hunter as a joint costume with a zombiefied Lance.

"It's a good job! The night's barely begun and I've already counted four zombies!" Gwen joked. She turned to Arthur. "Merlin will love yours. Did you plan it?"

"I'm starting to worry now. Gwaine asked me too! But no, we didn't plan anything."

Gwen smiled. "This is perfect. You two are so cute."

"What?" Arthur asked, but there was no response. Gwen only grabbed his arm and dragged him into the kitchen. Arthur didn't know what to make of the comment and Gwaine only shrugged. 

The kitchen was small with barely enough room for the three of them. Gwen began rummaging in the fridge before emerging with two bottles of larger.

"Get these down ya," she instructed. 

"Cheers."

"Gwen! Who is it?" Merlin's voice echoed from the neighbouring room. She poked her head around the door and called that it was Arthur and Gwaine.

"He's a terrible host," she muttered. "Everyone's through there."

Moments later the door opened again and Merlin slipped into the room, momentarily causing a crush of bodies and limbs before Gwen managed to slide out of the room. 

"Glad you could make it," Merlin mumbled. He was staring down at his hands, but then again so was Arthur. Gwaine let out an uncomfortable cough before following Gwen's lead and leaving the kitchen. 

When Arthur did eventually look up he was met with a pair of dazzling blue eyes, the dark grey make-up circling them adding to the brightness. Arthur's breath hitched for a second before he noticed Merlin's costume.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Arthur whispered, only it was Merlin's voice that reached his ears.

They both looked at each other for a second more before simultaneously letting out a laugh. 

Like Arthur, Merlin was made up to look like a zombie. His skin was grey, eyes black and sunken and cuts and bruises littered his face. Merlin however was not an American football player. Arthur hoped the grey face paint hid his blush as he studied Merlin's costume. The first thing Arthur noticed was the long blonde wig matted with fake blood. Arthur's eyes travelled down taking in the crop top, the exposed midriff and finally the mini skirt that Merlin was wearing. Realising that Arthur was checking him out, Merlin waved a pair of blue sparkly pompoms in Arthur's direction.

"A cheerleader?" Arthur laughed.

"An undead cheerleader," Merlin corrected. "But now it looks like I'm dressed as a Pendragon fangirl."

Merlin was smiling lopsidedly, showing Arthur that whatever was upsetting Merlin before was in the past. They could talk about that another time. Arthur smiled back, taking the bait.

"You are aren't you?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure I wanted everyone to find out like this though." 

Arthur laughed. "Come on. Everyone will be wondering what's happened to the host."


	10. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I really hope it is up to scratch and that you all enjoy it. I find this kind of thing difficult to write, so I would really love any feedback (good or bad). Thank you to everybody for reading and commenting. Enjoy!

He was running. It only took a few strides until Arthur had cleared the length of the tiny back garden. He had planned to vault the rickety wooden fence, but the alcohol sloshing around in his brain apparently had other ideas. As did the pair of hands that caught the back of his jersey, pulling him back before coming to a rest on his sides.  
"Give it up Pendragon," Arthur didn't have to turn around to recognise Merlin's voice in his ear.

  
He turned anyway, a little clumsily, giving a lopsided grin. For a split second the bright blue orbs staring at him made Arthur still. He wondered for a second whether he was dreaming. He had been running, and then out of nowhere appeared Merlin to wrap his arms around Arthur. To protect Arthur, to let him know that everything was alright. Only this time Arthur didn't need protecting.  
Somewhere, a few feet away someone cleared their throat. Arthur snapped back to the present. No he definitely was not dreaming.

  
"Damn, it looks like you got me," Arthur said, lopsided grin still in place.

  
"It's not like you put up much of a fight," Merlin said, finally removing his hands from Arthur's sides. He gave a sideways glance back towards the house before adding quietly, "It's almost as if you wanted me to catch you."

  
It was Arthur's time to clear his throat. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said through his smile.

  
Then Merlin was turning, running back up the path shouting, "Pendragon's IT! Everybody run for your life!"

  
It had started as a game of blind man's bluff before the blindfold had slipped away, turning the game into a drunken free for all. Not that the blindfold had been much use any. Arthur had noticed copious amounts of cheating, from whispered instructions of where the targets were situated to Gwaine outright peeking out from under the material.  
Unlike Gwaine's house party, there was only a handful of people present. The guests consisted of mostly people that Arthur knew. He liked it better that way. He was far more able to be himself and didn't feel like he had to guard himself at all times. He knew the people here and more importantly he trusted them. He wasn't going to get judged or ridiculed.

  
He grinned widely at the image of Merlin sprinting back up the garden. He was all limbs, arms and legs flailing in every direction. He was unsure whether Merlin was putting on the run for show or whether he moved that way naturally. Arthur had a feeling that it was probably the latter. As he bounced about, as did Merlin's skirt. It rode up slightly, allowing Arthur a brief view of the curve of his backside.

  
"Oi! Emrys!" Gwaine shouted from somewhere to Arthur's right. "Put it away! No one wants to see your arse tonight!"

  
Merlin spun on the spot, tugging a little at the hem of his skirt and shoving it down. "Speak for yourself!" He called back before letting his gaze flick back towards Arthur. Arthur shook his head slightly. Gwaine laughed in response and took off running too, though it was more of a drunken stumble up the garden path. Arthur supposed that was his cue to begin the chase.

  
Reaching the backdoor, he realised that though the music was still playing all lights had been turned off. It seemed the game had slowly evolved into hide and seek.

  
"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Arthur called, straining his ears to listen for any drunken titters over the music.

Merlin's house was small, but there was also a fair amount of clutter for people to hide in, behind or underneath. It wasn't long before Arthur's eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could make out the shapes of the furniture surrounding him. He half expected to walk straight into Gwaine or Merlin as they had entered the house mere seconds before him, alas they were nowhere in sight. Of course Merlin would know all the best hiding places in his own home.

  
It was a matter of moments before Arthur did find someone. A shadow shifted in Arthur's peripheral vision. He turned, finding himself face to face with a large, squishy armchair. He walked with purpose towards it, making no attempt to be sneaky. Whoever was hidden behind the chair knew he was coming. He knelt on the cushion for a second or two.

  
"I know you're there," he whispered before finally poking his head behind the seat.

  
"Damn," a voice mumbled back. Arthur recognised it as Elyan. He was dressed as a chef, covered in fake blood though at some point his telltale chef's hat had been discarded.

  
"Close your eyes and count to thirty," Arthur instructed. Then he took off running. Taking Merlin's lead he bellowed "Elyan is IT! Run for your life!" As he left the room. It was difficult to be stealthy and fast while looking for a hiding place in the dark. His intoxicated state did not help matters, though he was beginning to sober up. The more they played the less they drank. Arthur didn't mind.

  
Every potential space he found was, unfortunately occupied. Leon, in full police officer outfit was tucked snugly in the bathtub while Percy the werewolf had somehow folded himself into the airing cupboard. They both grinned at him and shrugged their shoulders as best the cramped space would allow. He found Gwen smiling shyly inside a large wooden chest in what Arthur assumed was Merlin's mother's room. He quietly closed the lid again and backed out of the room. He was running out of options. Elyan had to have finished counting by now.

  
The next door lead to what was unmistakably Merlin's bedroom. It screamed teenage boy; miscellaneous piles of junk strewn here and there. In the dark Arthur couldn't tell what anything was. On one of the walls there was another door. At first Arthur thought it would lead to an ensuite but he reminded himself of the proportions of the house. Upon opening the door her learned that it was a closet. He also learned that it was occupied.

  
Arthur went to close the door but the occupant stuck a hand out, stopping the door from moving.

  
"Get in," Merlin whispered, making a grab for Arthur's hand.

  
"Thanks, everywhere's taken."

  
Merlin didn't reply, only tugged at Arthur's hand to assist him to climb into the cupboard.

It was a snug fit and it took a little shuffling until they were both comfortable but they finally managed to slot in together, separated by mere millimetres. At some point between the garden and the cupboard, Merlin had lost his blonde wig. Arthur was silently thankful that he was not going to get a mouthful of long synthetic hair.

  
He could feel the warmth radiating from Merlin's body. Merlin's bare leg pressed up against Arthur's own clothed one. He suddenly wondered whether hiding together was such a good idea. Arthur was already beginning to get flustered as Merlin's hot breath puffed gently against his cheek.

  
"I'm not sure I can stay in here," Arthur breathed in Merlin's ear.

  
"Why not?" Merlin's hands had found their way to Arthur's sides. Arthur stilled underneath the slight pressure.

  
"Because of that," Arthur replied, desperately hoping that there was no one listening outside the door. He mentally kicked himself for neglecting to check under the bed first.  
Despite the lack of light, Arthur knew that Merlin was smiling. More accurately, he was probably smirking, much the way he always did when he realised what his mere existence did to Arthur. Merlin let out a breathy chuckle against Arthur's ear.

  
Somewhere outside of the room Elyan's muffled voice sounded "Gwen is now IT! Run for your lives!" But the duo barely registered the shout.

  
"Because of what?" Merlin whispered, his voice thick with feigned innocence.

Arthur shifted again so that he could mirror Merlin's pose, placing his own hands on Merlin's slim torso. He could hear Merlin smile, an amused little exhale. Arthur wished he could see him expression. Merlin carried on "because I'm touching you? Don't you trust-"

  
The whispered words were cut off abruptly as Arthur decided that no, he could not trust himself when Merlin's hands were on him. He also decided in that moment that he didn't care, effectively silencing Merlin as their lips crashed together.  
It was forceful and sloppy as Arthur took control for once, though Merlin didn't seem to mind. He responded equally as enthusiastically as the pair of them poured all of their pent up emotions into that kiss. All of the anger and frustration from the weeks of not talking seemed to seep away as the tension dissolved between them. He could feel Merlin's muscles relax, a small sigh escaping his lips as he melted into Arthur. He could feel Merlin's hands trailing up and down his sides, leaving trails of tingling skin beneath his jersey. He longed to rip it off but the limited space prevented him. Merlin, it seemed, read his mind as his fingers clumsily sought for the hem of Arthur's top before pushing their way underneath to his bare skin. Arthur shuddered pleasantly against the touch and he could feel Merlin smiling against his lips. Arthur mimicked the movements, thankful that Merlin was wearing a crop top, allowing easy access to his smooth stomach.

  
Gradually, as their lips and tongues danced, Merlin's fingers trailed lower. Arthur's cock, already interested from the sheer proximity gave a twitch as it realised before Arthur's mind could fully engage Merlin's intentions. Before Arthur could protest (not that he was going to) Merlin's fingers had slipped inside the elastic of Arthur's waistband and were brushing gently against his length. Even the light contact sent jolts of pleasure through Arthur's body causing him to release a shaky breath as Merlin finally broke the kiss. Merlin brought his forehead to Arthur's own, resting against him lightly. Arthur was pleased to realise that Merlin's breathing was just as erratic as his. He nudged himself against Merlin's fingers, wordlessly giving permission and urging Merlin to continue.  
Merlin shifted his grip, wrapping his long fingers around Arthur's cock and began stroking rhythmically. It was slow at first, and in the darkness Arthur thought he saw Merlin bite his lip as if concentrating. He bit his own in an effort not to moan out loud in response. He wrapped his arms around Merlin, bringing him closer and burying his head in his neck. His nostrils were filled with a smell that was distinctly Merlin, mingled with sweat and face paint. Merlin was beginning to pick up the pace, his other hand reaching around to cup Arthur's arse. He could feel Merlin's own arousal pressed against his thigh. Arthur wanted desperately to return the favour, to reach out and grasp it or even to drop to his knees and taste it. The limited space ruled out the second option.

  
He snaked his own hand downwards, mouthing at Merlin's neck, enjoying the filthy, breathy moans escaping Merlin's lips almost as much as he did the hand on his cock. He toyed with the hem of Merlin's skirt a moment suddenly full of apprehension. He'd never touched another boy before. What if he did it wrong?

  
"It's okay," Merlin whispered against Arthur's ear, again displaying his uncanny talent for knowing exactly what Arthur was thinking. He captured Arthur's lips in a kiss once more, though it was brief. Merlin slowed his movements for a second, with his free hand he took Arthur's hand and guided it towards Merlin's cock. He set up a steady rhythm, guiding Arthur own hand for the first few strokes before letting go and matching the pace as he stroked Arthur.

  
"Yes, just like that," Merlin hissed, thrusting into Arthur's palm. Arthur bit his lip, attempting to contain the moans threatening to spill out. Oh god. It was so much better when it was someone else's hand, Arthur realised. He wondered how much better it would feel when it was someone's mouth or their.... He was close, the muscles in his abdomen contracting.

  
"I'm... I'm gonna...." He tried to warn Merlin but before he could get the words out he was coming, hot jets spurting onto Merlin's fingers.

  
"Sorry," Arthur muttered, readjusting himself to get a better grip on Merlin's length. The only response he got was a breathy laugh, mingled with a choked moan. Merlin began to extract his hand from Arthur's damp trousers.

  
"Oh my God," light spilled suddenly into the cupboard, illuminating Merlin's flushed face; his lips red and swollen slightly parted and his eyes half closed in pleasure. Arthur groaned, if he'd been able to see that expression before he'd probably have shot his load a lot quicker. They both stilled, Merlin's sticky fingers still tucked neatly inside Arthur's waistband.

  
Gwen stood in the doorway. Her eyes wide with one hand halfway risen to her parted lips. Arthur could have cursed her at that moment. This was the second time Gwen had unwittingly interrupted them. The three remained unable to move, a trio of deer caught in the headlights.

  
Merlin was the first to regain the use of his tongue. "Hi Gwen," he said, finally extracting himself from Arthur's embrace and all but tumbling out of the cupboard. Arthur could feel himself blushing and his heart hammering in his chest. Shit. The game was up.

  
For a second no one said anything. Gwen was the next to regain her wits. She glanced under the bed and a few more hiding places before crossing to Merlin's bedroom door and closing it. It didn't shut all the way but she leant against it, her small weight keeping it from opening again.

  
"Merlin, what did I tell you about seducing the straight boys?" She said finally, arms folded across her chest. Despite her body language her eyes were smiling.

  
Merlin had also broken out into a grin. He held his hands up in surrender. Arthur found himself staring down at his feet. He didn't know what to say. He shifted slightly, the fabric of his trousers clinging unpleasantly to his leg.

  
"I don't think Arthur's exactly a straight boy," Merlin said, though his voice was a low. Arthur was thankful. Gwen raised her eyebrows, looking towards Arthur. Arthur shrugged. How did he begin explaining this? It was one thing to express his feelings to his sister or to Merlin but even though he likes Gwen, he didn't really know her. He took a deep breath.

  
"I'm not exactly ready for everyone to know," Arthur explained.

  
Gwen smiled and nodded. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone."

  
"Thank you," Arthur said, finally taking a step out of the cupboard.

  
"So what exactly is going on with you two?" She asked. "I mean, if you want to tell me. It's alright if you don't-"

  
"Gwen," Merlin cut her off, but he glanced towards Arthur. "What is going on between us?"

  
Arthur shrugged again, butterflies blossoming in his stomach. "What do you want to be going on between us?"

  
Merlin let out a shaky laugh and took a step towards Arthur, "I thought that was obvious."  
Arthur smiled, the butterflies swarming his insides. He felt giddy, as if he was about to start floating. "Tell me."

  
"I want us to be a thing," Merlin said. He sounded timid and unsure, nothing like the cocky Merlin from moments before.

  
"Then I guess we're a thing," Arthur barely got the words out before Merlin was assaulting his lips again. A high pitched squeal came from next to the door, reminding them that Gwen was still present.

  
"I said you guys are cute," she said.

  
Arthur knew his cheeks had gone red, he could feel the heat radiating from them. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but what he did know was that he and Merlin were officially a thing. Boyfriends perhaps. Secret boyfriends, but all the same. A laugh escaped his lips. He felt light, a weight lifted off his chest.

  
"Remember Gwen," Merlin said, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "Keep it on the down low for now."

 

She nodded, unable to keep the smile off of her lips. "Don't worry about that. You know, I thought something was going on. Back at Gwaine's when-"

  
"OK that's enough," Merlin interrupted.

  
"Oh my God! You were weren't you?" She laughed, her eyes wide.

  
"I think we should get back to the party," Merlin said, obviously attempting to change the subject.

  
"Your makeup is smeared by the way," Gwen said, her eyes twinkling mischievously. Her eyes travelled the length of Arthur's body, resting on his crotch "and Arthur may need a change of clothes."

  
Shit. He hadn't thought of that. He shot Merlin a pleading look.

  
"Right. Gwen round everyone up. Tell them I've drank too much. Arthur's sorting me out. Or whatever."

  
"I'm sure he is," Gwen winked before letting herself out of Merlin's room.

 

The second she was gone, Merlin leaned against the door himself expelling a long sigh.

  
"I am so sorry," he said, running his hand through his hair.

  
Arthur sank onto the single bed pushed into the corner of the room. "Don't be. It's fine. It's only Gwen."

  
"Yes but still. It could have been anyone. We need to be more careful."

  
Arthur shrugged. "I would have stopped you if I wanted you to stop."

  
"Yeah, but-" Arthur cut Merlin off again, taking two long strides over to him and pressing their lips together once more.

  
"I don't care." Arthur said. "I want people to know. Just in my own time."

  
Merlin nodded in understanding. "I never came out. Everyone just assumed, y'know."

  
"Apart from Freya," Arthur smiled remembering the story from their previous get together.

  
"Apart from Freya," Merlin confirmed. "Now let's get you changed."

  
It took ten minutes of searching through the scattered piles of clothes before Merlin found anything that Arthur was able to pull up past his thighs.

  
"Can we talk about before?" Arthur asked, not bothering to hide the fact that he was blatantly eyeing Merlin's backside every time he bent over. It was obvious that Merlin was not used to wearing skirts, the way he let it ride up to show his underwear everytime he leant forward, only pulling it down as an afterthought.

  
"What about before?"

  
"When you wouldn't answer my messages," Arthur clarified.

  
Merlin stilled for a moment. "I was being dumb I guess."

  
"No change there then," Arthur said, smiling to show he was joking.

  
"Prick," Merlin muttered. "No. Just the way you blanked me after what we did before. I thought you were ashamed or that I'd misread the signs or something. I thought maybe you were using me."

  
Arthur felt his features soften, "Merlin... I didn't mean that, I just..."

  
"I know. I realised that it was because you're scared but by that point I was being stubborn."

  
"What changed your mind?"

  
Merlin laughed. "Gwaine gave me a talking to. Said you were pining or something."

  
"I was not pining!"

  
"Whatever you say Pendragon. Here try these."

  
A pair of lime green shorts landed on Arthur's lap.

  
"These are hideous!" Arthur exclaimed.  
"Well if you didn't have such a fat arse I could offer you something else," Merlin smirked.

  
"My arse is not fat!" Arthur slid his currently soiled trousers off. He contemplated his boxers, realising that Merlin wouldn't have anything to fit at all and decided he would be better commando. Merlin walked back across the room, taking the opportunity to cup Arthur's bare backside.

  
"It is. But I love it," He pecked Arthur on the cheek before dancing away.

  
**  
They returned downstairs to find the party back in full swing. Party games and once and for all drawn to a close and drinks few flowing freely again. Everybody was scattered across the living room.

  
"You feeling any better Merlin?" Gwen asked as they entered the room.

  
He nodded in affirmation, declining the drink that Mordred (dressed in a lycra skeleton costume) attempted to push into his hand. "I've had enough. Don't want to embarrass myself anymore."

  
"Isn't that what you do best?" Gwaine chuckled, pulling Merlin into his lap.

  
Arthur followed suit, taking a seat on the floor next to a cross-legged Freya. She was winding the tail of her cat costume lazily between her fingers. Her drawn on whiskers were heavily smudged.

  
"Arthur! Where's your costume?" She exclaimed upon seeing him.

  
"Uhm," Arthur glanced towards Merlin. They hadn't thought this one through.

  
"I threw up on it," Merlin explained, perhaps a little too quickly. No one else questioned, thankfully. Arthur stopped himself from letting out a sigh of relief. Instead he gladly accepted the drink that Mordred was now offering to him. He downed it in two large gulps.

  
"Careful, I've got no more clothes to fit you if you spew up on yourself," Merlin warned.

  
"Shame. Then I'd just have to walk about naked," he replied. He didn't watch for Merlin's response, afraid it may give them away.

  
"Oh yes!" Freya piped up. "What a shame that would be. Could someone get Arthur another drink?"

  
The comment was met by a series of laughter.

  
"Isn't it usually Arthur that needs looking after anyway?" Gwaine asked. "I had to put you to bed last time!"

  
A wolf whistle came from somewhere behind him and he knew without looking that Owain had joined the teasing.

  
Arthur smirked. "You never know. The night is still young."

  
The conversation carried on around him. Arthur felt good, even if he was being teased because of his status of lightweight and because of his lime green shorts which clashed spectacularly with his red Pendragon jersey. He knew it was all in good fun and that if he chose to he could give as much as he could, but at that moment he was content. He was one step closer to accepting himself. He had a boyfriend. A boyfriend. The word sounded strange as it bounced around his head but it made him unbelievably excited.

  
In a way he was also glad that Gwen knew what was going on. It was one less person to make the grand revelation to when the time came. One more person he could talk to and one more person that he knew accepted him for who he was, not just who they thought he was. Perhaps he would be able to do it sooner rather than later.

  
He watched Merlin sat curled up on Gwaine's lap, longing for the day when they would be able to sit like that. It was different for Gwaine. Gwaine didn't give a fuck what people thought and had a way of laughing things off. They were qualities that Arthur truly admired.

  
Gradually, people began to excuse themselves. Most of Merlin's college friends lived nearby and were within walking distance of home. Gwaine, who lived slightly further out in what Merlin dubbed 'the posh bit', was going to crash on the settee. Merlin offered a place for Arthur and his friends to sleep too, but between the five of them it would be a tight squeeze.

  
Merlin hugged each one of them to say good bye. When he got to Arthur, Merlin managed to sneak a feel of Arthur's bottom. Arthur shot him a warning look to which Merlin just smiled innocently. "See you soon, yeah?"  
As a group they left, bundled in the back of Percy's mother's car. Arthur sat smiling to himself all the way back home, replaying the events of the night in his head.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies yet again for how long this has taken! I've been focussing on my dissertation and as a result my fics have been neglected. I hope you enjoy this, I feel like it's kind of a filler chapter maybe but there are some fairly important bits so I'll let you all decide for yourselves. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone that has read and commented so far, I hope you all continue to enjoy!

He was running. There was something different. He couldn't put his finger on it. He was running. Always running from something. This time it wasn't some great beast or sorcerer. There wasn't the usual feeling of panic; just a sense of foreboding settling in the pit of his stomach. A feeling of disgust winding its way through his intestine. 

A glance over his shoulder. Nothing was there, though he had the feeling that someone was watching his. Hovering above his shoulder, just an inch out of view. Watching his every move. He knew in that moment that he couldn't escape. No amount of running would save him. He slowed his steps, eventually coming to a stop. Eyes closed, he turned on the spot ready to shout out at whatever was stalking him. To stand his ground. 

A slight pressure appeared around his waist. Arms engulfing him from behind. The touch was comforting, the dread evaporating almost instantly. His eyes fluttered open, craning his neck to see the owner of the arms. Dark hair framed pale skin, a familiar pair of blue eyes twinkling back at him.

He knew he was safe.

**

When Arthur awoke it was with an uneasy feeling. He knew he'd had a dream that night, but the details danced just out of his reach every time he reached for them. They twinkled in the darkness of his mind's eye but were soon gone, lost in the abyss that was his unconscious.

He could still feel the warm comfort from the dream though and underlying anxiety prodded at his insides, vying for attention. Arthur sat up, frowning as he noticed he wasn't tangled in his sheets but still tucked neatly inside them. He was damp; a bit clammy but where near as drenched as his nightmares usually prompted. His brain was foggy having woken naturally from a deep sleep. He hadn't startled awake this time, his heart jumping in his throat. It was surreal. 

Arthur's back cracked several times as he stretched before heaving himself from bed. He padded lazily to the shower kick starting his morning routine. A few days had passed since he and Merlin had made the decision to be 'a thing'. They hadn't seen each other since but the evenings had been full of flirty text messages and brief Skype calls. Arthur had managed to keep his cool with the lads, more or less positive that he didn't give anything away. Though if any of them noticed his dopey smile each time his phone buzzed they didn't let on. 

As he traced his hand across his chest and stomach, lathering up the soap, Arthur let his mind wander back to Halloween night. Specifically being trapped in a built-in cupboard with Merlin. Guilt crept through him as he remembered not quite finishing Merlin off before Gwen rudely interrupted. He would make sure that he more than made up for it next time. 

Whenever next time would be.

They had decided that for now it was probably best not to meet up in private too often. They didn't want to arouse suspicion. Keeping quiet as part of the group could be problematic, but they could manage. Probably. It just meant that until Arthur was ready to announce it to the world they would have to keep the coupley behaviour under wraps. 

The rest of the morning was just like any other. Arthur washed, dressed and breakfasted. He combed his hair, parting it just so and shaved away the stubble sprouting on his chin earning an extra little nod and an ever so slightly upturned lip from his father as they passed in the hallway. It was the most praise he had received in weeks.

Morgana sidled across the landing, her hair only half curled and her uniform askew. If Arthur didn't know better he would say she looked a little flustered but he knew that the mere suggestion would get him a slap to the cheek. He caught her eye and expression changed immediately. Instead of the worried lip-biting he had witnessed for a split second he was met with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smirk. Did she somehow know what had transpired over Halloween? Arthur knew that he could tell her but he had decided not to. At least not for now. Before Arthur could say anything she had managed to glide back into her bedroom. He shook his head at the empty space. His half sister really was a puzzle sometimes.

Slipping on his winter coat, Arthur grabbed his school bag and made his way to his car. The beginning of November had brought a bitter chill along with strong winds and more rain than Arthur would have liked. It was dry at that moment, but the wind whipped at him in the few strides from the front door to his car parked on the driveway. A glance in the rearview mirror told Arthur that styling his hair had been a waste of time. 

During the drive, Arthur caught himself tapping his fingers against the steering wheel more than once in time with the radio. One particularly catchy song even got him humming. He laughed at himself in the mirror, reminding himself not to act too cheery at school lest he arouse suspicion. He pulled up in his usual spot having one last effort to tame his hair. He knew it was useless as the car door caught in the wind as he opened it, wenching Arthur's arm along with it. 

On arrival at registration, Arthur slipped quietly into his usual seat, first listening to the lads enthuse about football practise, then tuning out Mr Monmouth's bored monotone as he took attendance and read out the school announcements. There was nothing of interest particularly, though there were some sounds of intrigue at the mention of a Christmas ball occurring at the end of term. Arthur couldn't say he was bothered but he knew for some of the other sixth formers it would be a big deal. Anyway, it wasn't for another few weeks. Today was not the time to worry or get excited over a glorified school disco.

The bell sounded to symbolise the end of registration prompting a cascade of scraping chairs as everyone jostled to leave the classroom as soon as possible. The lads separated off, disappearing to their varying lessons until Arthur was left alone with Leon making their way to double business studies at the far end of the building. 

Leon cleared his throat. "So, Christmas ball?"

"What about it?" Arthur asked. Usually Leon wouldn't be overly bothered.

"You going?"

Arthur shrugged. "Depends on you lot I guess."

"Going to ask anyone?" 

"Meh," Arthur managed, hoping that he didn't look as flustered as he felt. "You?"

Arthur was surprised to see that Leon was looking down, shuffling his feet. A distinct pink flush creeping up his cheeks. "Thinking of asking Morgana. That is, if you don't mind."

Arthur laughed out loud. "Don't let her hear you asking my permission. She'll destroy both of us."

In his own little bubble, Arthur had somehow forgotten about the budding romance between his best friend and his sister. Truth be told, Arthur didn't really want to think about Morgana dating and getting into relationships. Leon was perhaps one of the better men for the job; noble and loyal. Besides, his down to earth nature could probably calm Morgana down a couple of notches. 

"But yeah, go for it," Arthur added, clapping Leon on the shoulder. He couldn't help but be thankful that Leon hadn't pushed for an answer about who Arthur would take. Of course, his mind had immediately gone to Merlin, but the reaction of Arthur's classmates and teachers filled Arthur with dread. The thought of what his father would say when Arthur's date was revealed to be male absolutely terrified him. Maybe he could work up to that, but not just yet. It was early days anyway. 

Business Studies consisted of running through topics likely to come up on the exam rapidly approaching in January. It was positively mind numbing, a subject in which Arthur had little interest. According to Uther's plans, (of which Arthur realised he'd had next to no say), when the time came Arthur was to take over the family business. For that, he had to at least have some idea of how these things worked. It was simply expected. He sighed to himself and as he jotted down the bare minimum needed. 

The bell signalling break time was a blessing. It came just as Arthur was convinced he was about to slip into a boredom induced coma, dazzling him awake. 

The common room was a hive of activity at break time. Sixth formers poured in and out, shouting greetings and chattering loudly. Arthur and his friends occupied a corner towards the back of the room, managing to squeeze in a card game or two before third period began. Third period was Arthur's free lesson of the day. As Leon and Percy sauntered off to their next lesson he found himself left playing a half hearted game of snap with Gwaine. A majority of the activity melted away as did the students giving the room a more mellow vibe. Here and there people were scattered doing last minute homework or talking quietly to their friends.

"Snap!" Gwaine's voice rang out as he battered all Arthur's hand away from the pile of cards, scooping them up and into his lap. He shot Arthur a lopsided grin, eyes twinkling with mischief. It was a challenge. Arthur laughed.

"It's like that is it?" Arthur smiled as the pair began slinging cards on to the table between them. For the first time in a long time Arthur realised that he didn't feel anxious. He saw the gleam in Gwaine's eye too alongside the softness of his smile and wondered whether he had picked up on it. 

**

It was cold. More than cold, Arthur thought as he shuddered to himself. He was wrapped up in a matching scarf, hat and gloves. Bright red and woollen. Still the chill of the nighttime air managed to penetrate through to his skin. The fire would warm him soon enough. His wellies, also bright red but definitely not woollen made a squelching sound with every step he took. It was fine out now, but earlier it had poured it down making the field resemble some kind of mud bath. 

Various food stands were scattered around, as well as a couple of fairground attractions blaring overly cheerful music loudly from their speakers. Arthur remembered this from his childhood. The excitement and wonder that always came along with bonfire night and the accompanying fireworks. That was, however, a distant memory. In more years Uther had become even more wrapped up in his work, backing out of the event at the last minute. 'Company emergency' he would always declare before rushing out of the house, leaving Arthur and Morgana stranded.

This was the first year that Arthur was able to drive. The first year he was able to drive across town and attend the event with his friends. Not that he had seen any of them yet. The field was already filling fast despite that there was still at least an hour before the fire was lit. Even longer before the fireworks. Shrieks of laughter filled the air as children ran ahead of their parents.

Gwen and Lance were the first to join him, beaming ear to ear and sharing a toffee apple. They each wore a pair of fingerless gloves, fingers entwined in each other's. They were, as Arthur had previously noted, sickeningly cute. Though this time, a pang of jealousy erupted somewhere in the back of his mind. He longed for the day that he could be that sickeningly cute and overt with Merlin. With his boyfriend. He knew the jealousy was stupid. It was Arthur's choice after all to keep things on the down low. 

The couple and Arthur exchanged pleasantries, Lance immediately launching into his usual football babble. One by one, the rest of the group began to emerge. The lads from school arrived together, excepting Gwaine, in full banter mode. Eventually Elyan, Gwaine and Mordred arrived before finally Merlin sidled towards the group, arms linked with Freya and a boy that Arthur did not know. Merlin shot Arthur a sly smirk and a wink before rushing into the group, shouting greetings and exchanging hugs.

"Those of you that don't know, this is Will. Will, these are the boys," Merlin indicated the unfamiliar boy and pointed at Arthur and his friends.

Will's smile was broad, his cheeks tinted pink with cold. "So these are the toffs that Merls won't shut up about." 

"I wouldn't exactly say we're toffs," Arthur said, knowing that Will was joking. Mostly.

The smile on Will's lips grew. "You must be Arthur."

Arthur nodded and held his hand out to shake, all the while trying not to over analyse just how Will knew which of the boys he was. Had Merlin really gone into that much detail? Just what had he said about him? If he'd managed to spill their secret... Arthur wasn't quite sure what he'd do. 

The rest of the introductions were made before someone, Arthur didn't quite catch who, began complaining of the cold. Together they trudged over to the barrier separating the guests from the large pile of wood waiting to be lit in the centre of the field. They got a good spot, quite near the front where the heat of the flames was likely to just about reach them. After much jostling, Arthur found himself firmly wedged against Merlin, arms pressed together. To the onlooker it would look like coincidence. Arthur, however knew that Merlin had probably carefully planned his movements.

Arthur spoke with Leon and Percy, though the words were not quite making their way to his brain. Merlin had turned to chat to Gwen, though his hands swung by his sides, Merlin's bare fingers grazing Arthur's wool clad ones. He wondered whether anyone would notice if next time Arthur looped his fingers around Merlin's own. If he kept their fingers intertwined. He wondered whether anyone would say something even if they did notice. When he thought about it, Arthur's friendship with Merlin must come across as a strange one. They constantly bickered and picked on each other, though it was somehow different to how it was with the other lads. More flirty. Perhaps people would put that down to Merlin's personality. He was over thinking again. 

He tried to let his mind drift onto other things, to focus on the conversation at hand before anyone noticed that he hadn't interjected in a while. The tingle, however, lapping at his fingertips every time Merlin's hand swayed kept him well and truly distracted. Virtually every time they had met, the pair managed to get some alone time. Arthur's eyes roamed the field. It seemed unlikely they would be able to sneak away undetected this time. 

The fluttering of Merlin's fingers ceased suddenly. Arthur stiffened as a light touch appeared instead on the small of his back. Fuck. What was Merlin playing at? In answer to his question, Merlin's head appeared next to Arthur's as he leaned around, chin ghosting against his shoulder.

"I'm off to the burger van, anyone want anything?" Merlin asked. Arthur shifted to pull out his wallet, trying not to lean into the touch too much. There was a flurry of movement from the other guys too as they dug around for money and placed their food orders.

"Bloody hell. I'm never going to remember all this," Merlin exclaimed. "Arthur come and help me carry them all."  
Well, here was there alone time. 

"Could you have been any less subtle?" Arthur muttered.

Merlin was smiling. "Come on, no one noticed a thing. They'll think that I just needed a big strong man to help me carry all those heavy burgers."

Arthur snorted. "You might be scrawny but you're not that frail. Besides if it was muscle you were after I'd have thought Percy more suitable,"

"Oh cheers, my boyfriend just called me scrawny," Merlin pouted but there was a twinkle in his eye.

Arthur's stomach flipped at the choice of the word 'boyfriend'. It was all he could do to hide his smile.

"Say it a little louder next time why don't you," 

Merlin grinned. "Alright next time I call you my bo-"

The sentence was cut off abruptly by Arthur's gloved hand clamping itself firmly over Merlin's mouth. 

After a second or two of struggling, Merlin held his hands up in mock surrender. "You'd do anything to touch me."

Arthur remained silent, raising his eyebrow in response.

"I never said I didn't like it," Merlin whispered. 

They reached the van, the server's eyes widening as Merlin ordered thirteen burgers with varying degrees of cheese, fried onions and relish. He apparently had no difficulty in remembering everyone's order despite his earlier exclamation. 

After paying, they divided the burgers between the two of them. Arthur carried the extra one as he was 'the muscle'. It was quite the balancing act on the way back to the group. A large crowd had now formed around the bon fire and they had to shoulder their way through to find everyone else. Mid way through the crowd, a familiar voice shouted out.

"Arthur, bud, how you doing?" He turned to find Cenred, a grin plastered on his face.

Arthur nodded in response and made to carry on.

"Why don't you join us?" Cenred asked. His tone was pleasant but Arthur felt reluctant. Ever since the 'Facebook incident', Arthur had not interacted with Cenred or his cronies. He wasn't in the mood to start now.

"Sorry mate, I'm with my buddies," Arthur nodded towards Merlin where he waited a few paces away. "Maybe next time yeah?"

Cenred's gaze shot to Merlin for the first time. Merlin did his best to wave with his arm full of burgers. A brief flicker of recognition crossed Cenred's eyes before he grinned again. "Yeah of course. Have fun Pendragon."

"You too," Arthur replied before pushing on through the crowd. 

"Who's that?" Merlin asked.

"Some jerk from school. The kind you don't want to associate with," Arthur explained. 

"Got ya."

Their friends were waiting eagerly for their burgers. 

"Took your time didn't ya," Will said, grabbing the package that Merlin presented him with.

"You have any idea how long it takes to cook thirteen burgers?" Merlin said. 

"Just thought you might have been trying to seduce the straight boys again," Will teased.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Merlin said to titters from the others.

"Do I need to be worried?" Arthur joked. "This is not the first of your friends to make that joke."

"Nah mate. You're fine," Merlin said. "I'm not about to try and pull you."

Arthur could almost hear Merlin's teasing 'because I already have,' hanging in the air. 

Conversation built up around them as everyone tucking hungrily into their food. Arthur couldn't help but share a secret smile with Merlin when no one else seemed to be paying attention. 

It wasn't long until the fire was lit, warmth licking at their skin as the flames crept steadily towards the sky. Merlin warmed his ungloved hands against the flames, pressing himself against the barrier. In that moment, as Arthur watched, Merlin looked more vulnerable than he had ever seen. His coat was too thin for the weather and his hat barely even covered his ears. Arthur longed to scoop him up, to share his body heat with Merlin. Quietly, he sidled up against Merlin. 

"Here," Arthur said, offering his own gloves. "You look frozen."

Merlin eyed them warily before glancing around and shoving his hands inside the warm red wool. "Thank you."

Arthur placed his own hands in his pockets, debating whether he could get away with also offering his scarf. 

A bang erupted somewhere above them and they both jumped, startled. The fireworks were beginning. Arthur watched for a while, captivated by the bright colours and patterns littering the sky. He could feel his mouth hanging open in awe as he watched for the first time in years the spectacular display from up close. The crowd 'oohed' and 'ahhed', Arthur feeling compelled to join in. 

"You're adorable," Arthur froze as the words tickled his ear. Merlin was gazing at him, teasing smile firmly in place. Arthur was sure that if his cheeks weren't red from the cold, they would have been now.

"Can't remember the last time I saw proper fireworks," Arthur explained. 

"You've lead a sheltered life Pendragon," Merlin smirked.

Arthur smirked back, lowering his voice slightly "You'll just have to show me everything I've missed out on then."

"Be careful," Merlin muttered back "people might think you're trying to flirt with me."

Arthur tried and failed to bite back his laugh, causing the rest of the group to tear their attention away from the fireworks and look at him quizzically. With that, their whispered conversation was over as Merlin returned his gaze upwards. Arthur followed suit, weighing up the likelihood that someone had overheard. Perhaps it would be better if they did. Then Merlin wouldn't have to censor himself when he obviously thrived on physical contact.

The frequency and size of booms and flashes began to intensify as the display entered into the grand finale. Arthur watched, though it was without the same open mouthed awe as before. A small, almost nonexistent touch on his hand told him that Merlin had noticed the change in attitude. Arthur wasn't sure how to respond.

The display wound down with much of the crowd dispersing. Many of the stalls had began packing up, much to the dismay of Gwaine who had desperately wanted a turn on the dodgems. 

"What now?" Mordred asked over Gwaine's loud complaints.

"Don't really fancy freezing my tits off in a muddy field for much longer," Freya said.

The idea of the pub was batted around for a moment or two but with much of the group being under legal drinking age the idea was quickly shot down. Conversation turned to how everybody was getting home. Arthur offered a lift to anyone that needed it and then consequently tried not to look too upset when it was snapped up by Owain and Pellinore. Merlin mumbled something about how Will was driving, perhaps realising the actual intent on Arthur's offer. Gradually, the group divided and left leaving Arthur stood with his two friends. They trudged across to the carpark, locating Arthur's car.

"You ok Arthur?" Pellinore asked after a minute of silence.

"Yeah, you're too quiet mate," Owain added.

Great. They'd noticed something was up.

Arthur nodded. "Yeah. Fine."

He pretended to ignore the look shared between his two passengers. Instead he gripped the steering wheel tightly, chastising himself for not being able to man up enough to admit his feelings, even to some of his closest friends. 

After Pellinore and Owain had departed, Arthur drove home. He parked on the drive but made no move to get out of the car. In his pocket he felt his phone vibrate.

'Don't beat yourself up. Xx'

The text was from Merlin. Arthur cringed. How could he be so understanding? Merlin didn't deserve someone like Arthur that snuck around in the shadows as if ashamed. He deserved someone that was open and affectionate. Someone that would should his love from the rooftops. Someone who wasn't a coward and afraid of what others would think. Arthur breathed in deeply and tapped a reply:

'I'm sorry xx"

Pocketing his phone, Arthur slipped out of the car. Despite the urge to slam the door, he shut it quietly and made his way to his bedroom. He stopped only to shed his wellies, coat, hat and scarf. It was at that moment he realised that Merlin still had his gloves. Good. He could keep them. Arthur slumped on his bed, neglecting the remove the rest of his clothes before he fell into an uneasy sleep.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been an awfully long time since I managed to update! For that I am really sorry. I've been working on this for a very long time but real life issues keep popping up and distracting me. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and that my recent lack of updates hasn't put anyone off. I'd like to say I'll get back on track soon but everything is so hectic. I do, however, promise to write whenever I am able.

He was running. His lungs filled with fire. Stinging from the inside out. He struggled to draw breath. His chest was going to implode. His legs pumped relentlessly, pummeling the cobbles below. His feet hurt. His muscles screamed. He was tired of running. He wanted to stop.

But IT was there. Whatever it was. It was always there. Filling him with dread. He couldn't let it catch up. He was exhausted. He would have to stop eventually. Then it would engulf him. That would be it.

A shadow at the corner of his vision. He turned to see but it danced away. It was gaining on him. Teasing, goading, playing. Never ending. This was it. 

A flash of light. A foreign shout. He collided with something solid. The shadow was gone. Comforting blue eyes gazed down at him. A warm soft grip held him still. 

When he woke, Arthur's damp sheets were tangled around his legs. His heart drummed against his ribcage, breath coming in short bursts. The T-shirt he had slept him clung to his body, sweat rapidly cooling. He knew he'd been dreaming but he struggled to recall the details. The sense of panic had returned this time. He was still being chased though he could not identify his pursuer. He didn't know if that meant anything. And of course he was there. Merlin. Driving away whatever dangers Arthur faced each night. He wondered whether he should come clean, to tell his boyfriend about the dreams that had plagued Arthur since childhood. To tell him that he'd dreamed of him before they'd even met. Arthur grimaced. It would probably drive him away. Especially as Arthur was still unwilling to go public with their relationship. He sat up, chewing the inside of his lip. Merlin had been nothing but understanding of Arthur’s reservations. Regardless, they needed to figure out how they could get some alone time without arousing too much suspicion. 

Arthur went about his morning routine. A shower followed by breakfast and strained conversation with his father. He wasn't looking forward to school. With bonfire night out of the way, talk would be focussed on the Christmas dance. No thank you. Arthur did not fancy having to evade questions about who he was going to ask. Before he made his mind up, he would have to talk to Merlin. 

"I hear the school is hosting a dance," Uther set down his morning newspaper, fixing his gaze on Arthur. Arthur hesitated with his spoon halfway to his mouth. It was as if the man was in his head sometimes.

"Yes," Arthur answered, unsure where this was going. 

Uther's eyes crinkled and his lips turned upwards slightly in what Arthur supposed was a smile. "Do you have a date yet?"

The mouthful of cereal Arthur was trying to swallow caught in his throat. "No," he spluttered, hoping his choking fit would get him out of giving an explanation yet. 

"Pity," Uther replied. He took a sip from his black unsweetened coffee. "I could set you up with Vivian. She was always such a lovely girl."

Arthur wasn't sure that he managed to hide his displeased expression and he was certain that his "No!" came out a little too fast and desperate, earning a raised eyebrow from his father. 

"Ahem. What I mean is that won't be necessary. I'm sure Vivian already has a date."

"Oh. Yes, of course," Uther responded. He opened his mouth to speak again but Arthur cut him off.

"Sorry father, I am running late. I said I'd meet Leon to... study before school," he invented before leaving his half eaten breakfast and rushing out of the dining room. An amused looking Morgana hovered outside of the door.

"What's the matter brother?" 

"Father just tried to set me up with Vivian. Again," Arthur explained.

Morgana let out a tinkling laugh. "When will he learn she's not your type?"

"Shut up. Be careful if you're going in there. I'm sure he's got someone up his sleeve for you too."

Morgana laughed again. "I'm not sure he would dare."

Arthur had to agree. Morgana could be scary when she wanted to. Especially when Uther was involved. Arthur just prayed that he would never be on the receiving end of Morgana's wrath. She smirked, brushing past Arthur gently. Sometimes he swore she could read his mind. 

Arthur returned to his room briefly to collect his school bag. His lie about meeting Leon meant he had to leave the house lest Uther discover Arthur was making excuses. He'd want to know why Arthur was so eager to drop the topic of potential dates. Arthur grimaced. He'd tell his father about Merlin one day, but not now. It was an unspoken expectation that Arthur would marry a well off woman. A woman that would provide lots of tiny babies to carry on the Pendragon name. If Uther was to find out that Arthur's romantic interest was a lanky dark haired boy from the rough part of town all hell would probably break loose. 

Thinking of Merlin, Arthur ached to see him. To spend time with him away from everyone else. Alone. Where they could behave like a couple without having to explain to everyone else. Without the fear of getting caught just yet. 

As he stepped out of the house, the bitter chill of the morning whipped Arthur's face. Glad that he could drive, he slipped into his car. The early departure meant that Arthur didn't hit the morning rush and he arrived at school with a lot of time to spare. It would be another twenty minutes or so before even the early birds began filtering in.

Arthur didn't get out of the car. It was too cold to loiter around outside and he couldn't be bothered to walk to the common room. He leaned his head against his seat, closing his eyes. He needed to sort this out. He needed to stop lying and fleeing from those he cared for. Without thinking, he pulled his phone from his bag.

He scrolled through the contacts, his the hovering above Merlin's name. He made his decision. 

The phone rang twice before Merlin picked up. 

"Arthur? You alright?"

"What are you doing now?" Arthur asked, foregoing a greeting.

"Just walking to college. Why, what's up?"

"I want to see you," Arthur explained. 

"Is something wrong?"

Arthur paused. He wasn't sure. "I don't think so. I just miss your face."

There was a laugh from the other end. "You're a soppy bugger. Pick me up after college?"

"I was thinking more like now," Arthur said, a snake coiling in his stomach. Was he seriously contemplating skipping school to see his boyfriend? His father would be ashamed. It wouldn't be hard for Uther to discover that Arthur had been missing from classes too. 

"Arthur Pendragon, you rebel!" Merlin exclaimed, amusement evident in his voice. "Won't people question where you are?"

Arthur sighed "Probably."

"Well then, go to your classes and you can see me later."

"Okay, I suppose," There was a tap on Arthur's window, causing him to give a small, startled yelp. "Someone's here, gotta go. See you later."

He barely heard Merlin's rushed goodbye as Arthur hung up, stuffing the phone in his pocket. He looked up to find a grinning Gwaine pressing his face against the window. Arthur opened the door, pushing Gwaine out of the way.

"Get your greasy face away from my car, you'll smudge her."

Gwaine complied, grin still in place "Your words wound me. What you doing here so early?"

Arthur shrugged awkwardly as he slammed the door shut. "Needed some space from father."

"Parents eh, who'd have em?" Gwaine commented, his grin slipping into a half smile. "What's he up to this time?"

Arthur arranged his face into what he hoped was an amused smirk. "Same.old, trying to set me up with Vivian. Again."

Gwaine stifled a laugh. "Bloody hell! I'd keep well away if I was you."

"I don't need telling!" Arthur laughed. 

"She is fit though," Gwaine said thoughtfully.

"Not worth the hassle," Arthur remarked, earning a snort from his friend. 

"Hey, I heard you were besotted with her once," Gwaine teased.

"Besotted?" Arthur laughed, recalling the immense crush he had suffered not too long ago. "I was a boy with eyes. Didn't help that farther kept suggesting. I'd rather not think about it."

"Nah, we all know you're besotted with someone else now," Gwaine teased, clapping Arthur on the shoulder

"Is that the word of the day or something?" Arthur chose not to address the statement. He wasn't sure how much Gwaine knew about the extent of Arthur and Merlin's relationship status and he wasn't about to spill until he was one hundred percent sure he was ready. Arthur knew that Gwaine wouldn't tell anyone else; he'd kept everything else secret so far. But for each extra person that knew it was an extra person to keep tabs on. 

They wandered into the school building, idly chatting about this and that. The corridors were gradually filling and Arthur was pleased to note that Gwaine dropped all teasing about Arthur's love life at the sight of other people. Before long, it was time to separate and go to their form rooms. In Mr Monmouth's classroom Arthur slid into his usual seat amongst the lads. There was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Excitement in anticipation for later, maybe. He tried to keep the smile off his lips lest he have to explain to everyone else. Instead he sat back and listened to the topic of the morning.

The school day dragged. Arthur was barely able to concentrate. He caught himself numerous times watching the clock instead of listening to whichever teacher. The second hand was moving, though he was almost convinced the minute hand had stuck. He'd spent quite a while wondering if he was going to be trapped in a never ending loop of lessons when the bell to signal the end of classes jerked him from his chance. Arthur swept his belongings into his bag and hurried from the room. He kept his pace quick but tried to make sure he didn't look like he was in a hurry. If anyone asked where he was going he wasn't sure how he'd explain away meeting Merlin. Alone. Without telling anyone else. 

Luckily, he bumped into no one that questioned him and Arthur slid into his car with a sigh of relief. His excitement was starting to give way to nervousness. He didn't know what he was going to say or what he wanted to talk about. The engine roared to life as Arthur fumbled with the ignition. The radio blared, the local station pumping out a range of cheesy pop songs. Arthur reversed out of the carpark, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel in nervous anticipation.

Deciding it may look strange if he picked Merlin up straight from college, Arthur pulled up a few streets away and text Merlin his location. Arthur wondered if we was being too careful. Perhaps it would be all this sneaking around that got them caught in the end. It wasn't a secret that Arthur had friends at this college. Hiding could perhaps arise suspicions. On the other hand, Arthur's car stood out in this area of town. If he overtly parked on one of the busiest streets it could only lead to questions. 

His thoughts were pushed to the side as a group of familiar figures appeared on the corner of the street. Merlin was gesturing wildly to Gwen and Freya. The girls were both shaking their heads but they were too far away for Arthur to read their expressions. After a few minutes, hugs were exchanged and Merlin watched his friends walk away. Arthur didn't know if they were aware of his presence. He didn't think they'd looked in his direction but he couldn't be sure. After a moment, Merlin turned and strode purposefully towards Arthur's car. He let himself in and relaxed into the passenger seat.

"So, why do you want to see me so bad?" Merlin asked.

"Is it a crime to want to see my boyfriend?" Arthur replied watching Merlin's cheeks turn slightly pink.

"Can't get used to hearing you say boyfriend," Merlin said.

"I can't get used to saying it," Arthur admitted. "Where do you want to go?"

Merlin directed Arthur to a cafe a few streets away. "It should be discrete enough so we can talk," he explained. Arthur nodded. He felt awkward and excited all at once. They pulled up a short distance away and walked together. As they did, Merlin's hand clumsily bumped into Arthur's. He wanted to reach out and grab Merlin's hand but at the same time he was hesitant. He felt himself recoil away fractionally, as if burned. If Merlin noticed he didn't react. 

A bell chimed softly as they entered the cafe. Arthur glanced around, a quick scan for familiar faces. A warm hand settled on his lower back, rubbing soft gentle circles. It was comforting. A sigh of relief attempted to escape his lips on realising that there were no familiar faces occupying the scattering of plush sofas. Merlin let his hand trail from Arthur's back instead finding his fingers and giving them a quick squeeze.

Merlin lead Arthur to a squishy, well loved sofa tucked towards the back of the shop. He glided with ease, maneuvering around the furniture without really looking. 

"I like to come here to think," Merlin said as if to explain his apparent familiarity. 

"So, is this where you bring all your boyfriends?" Arthur asked in a low voice. 

Merlin shook his head, pulling Arthur down into the seat next to him. "Only you."

Arthur smiled, a warmth blossoming across his chest at Merlin's words. He felt a bit daft, but the fact that Merlin had chosen to share his special thinking place with Arthur alone was somewhat flattering. Before long, a pretty young waitress wearing a green apron and a pencil in her hair approached the table. She took their order quickly, flashing a familiar smile at Merlin as she did. 

“You must think a lot,” Arthur commented as the waitress left.

“You could say I'm a regular,” Merlin replied. He paused for a moment. “Arthur, what’s the matter?”

“Huh?”

“This morning. You were all flustered. You were willing to skip school. Has something happened?” Merlin’s hand landed on Arthur’s knee giving it a gentle squeeze.

Arthur shrugged. He was unsure how to broach the topic of the Christmas ball without hurting Merlin’s feelings. The ‘ignore everything until it goes away’ technique had so far been extremely unsuccessful. The only option that Arthur could see was to be blunt and truthful. Skirting around the issue would only bring more problems. 

Arthur took a breath, playing for time in order to gather his thoughts. “Father was harping on about me having a date for some stupid school dance. I guess I panicked. I needed to get away.”

There was a soft clatter as two large mugs brimming with cappacino were placed on their table along side a large chunk of chocolate cake with two forks.They both nodded their thanks to the waitress. Merlin gently took Arthur’s hand as she left. He didn't speak, allowing Arthur to carry on.

“I really want to take you. I eas going to ask...” Arthur carried on, his tone uncertain as he trailed off. 

“But?” Merlin questioned. His expression was difficult to read. Arthur thought he detected a sadness in Merlin's eyes. He felt his own chest constrict. This was the part he was afraid of. 

Arthur ran his free hand though his hair. “I'm not quite ready for everyone to find out like that.”

Merlin nodded, his lips a thin, straight line. “People are going to find out sooner or later.”

“I know. I'd just rather do it in my own time,” Arthur explained. “We can start telling people soon, but I'd like it to be one at a time. I need to build up to telling father. If everyone at school knows that my date is a boy he will find out. Then I don't know what’ll happen.”

“Okay,” Merlin nodded again. He didn't look overly happy with the situation, but he didn't seem angry. “We're taking things slow. But just so you know I can't wait for the day I can shout about out relationship from the rooftops.”

Arthur laughed, digging his elbow into Merlin’s rib playfully. It was met with an indignant ‘ow!’ which Arthur ignored. He leaned forward to grab his drink. When Arthur turned back he Merlin was staring at him, head cocked and finger thoughtfully placed on his lips. 

“What?” Arthur asked. “You look like you're thinking. That can't be good!”

“Do any of the boys have dates yet?” Merlin asked slowly as if whatever his ides was it was still forming. 

“Only Leon as far as I know. He's going with Morgana,” Arthur said. A bell tinkled somewhere in the background. 

“So what if we all go as friends? If Gwaine, Percy, Owain and Pell all invite one of the college gang, you’ll be able to invite me with no one questioning,” Merlin suggested, his smile growing wider with each word. 

Arthur was quiet for a moment. “Merlin, I think you might be a genius.”

Merlin’s resultant laugh was cut short as Arthur planted a soft kiss on Merlin’s lips. Merlin kissed back, causing an eruption of butterflies in Arthur’s already giddy stomach. He pulled away, taking in Merlin’s smug smile.

“Did you just compliment me?” Merlin teased.

“Don't get too used to it.”

Someone just ahead was clearing their throat. Arthur felt himself blush, a little embaressed at the sudden display of public affection. He’d almost forgotten that they were not alone.

“What a present surprise.” 

Arthur’s startled at the familiar voice floating near his ear. Someone had snuck up beside him while he was otherwise occupied. A well manicured hand adorned with black nail polish clapped Arthur on the shoulder. He followed the arm up, breath hitching as he recognised the wild, blonde hair tumbling over the girl’s shoulder. Kohl-rimmed brown eyes twinkled with amusement. Arthur swallowed.

“Morgause, what a… lovely surprise,” Arthur managed, finally finding his words. She smirked, before turning her attention to Merlin.

“Who's your friend?” She asked, a fake smile plastered across her lips.

“This is Merlin,” Arthur supplied. He knew there was no valid excuse for what Morgause had just witnessed. Merlin gave the girl a tight lipped smile.

“My name’s Morgause, Arthur's sister's sister,” she said, sitting across from them without being invited. She signaled to the waitress who quickly took her order. “I've seen you around. You two have been spending a lot of time together.”

Arthur coughed. “Yes. We're good friends.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Have you introduced him to Uther yet?” 

Arthur shook his head. He knew exactly where Morgause was going with this. How could she be so casual when she was probably foulating ideas on how to ruin Arthur's life. This girl petrified him. More so than Morgana. 

“What do you do, Merlin?” Morgause asked as she accepted a small cup from the waitress. 

“I'm a student at the college. Studying drama. Actually, Arthur was just helping me rehearse for a big performance I have coming up.”

Arthur tired his best not to react to Merlin's blatent lies, nodding along.  
The statement was met by another strained smile. She’d obviously not bought it but if she was to tell anyone it was her word against theirs. “Oh! Why didn't you say so?” She exclaimed.

After a few more minutes of forced and fake small talk, Arthur managed to find an excuse to leave, all but dragging Merlin behind him away from the witch that was Morgause. The pair slid back into Arthur’s car, Arthur resting his head on the steering wheel.

“What was all that about?” Merlin asked for a moment.

“Morgana’s older sister. Not sure why but she’s always had it out for me,” Arthur explained. “Fuck. She's going to say something to Morgana. Or father.”

Merlin gently squeezed Arthur's shoulder. “Let's drive. The last thing we need is for her to walk past and see you freaking out.”

Arthur inhaled deeply. “Yeah, you're right. Let’s drive.”


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone. Once again, apologies for the wait. It seems I always have one excuse or another. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and that it is up to scratch. My chronic pain condition has spread to my hands the past month or so. As a result, typing is not as easy as it once was so it takes longer and I may make more mistakes. I've tried to proof read, but if I've missed any glaring mistakes please point them out. Also, as usual any constructive criticism is much appreciated. Please enjoy!

He was running. The fear was real. Unlike anything he'd felt before. The terror grasped his chest, squeezing the air out of his lungs. He tried to breath. He could only manage small gasping breaths. His mind was made of fog. He couldn't think. He could only run. His body was on autopilot. The fear fueled him. Instinctively, he rounded a corner. He didn't dare look over his shoulder. Something was following him. He couldn't work out what. The panic overruled any rational part of his mind left. A shadow loomed above him. Chasing, following, hunting. He only knew he could not stop. He couldn't let it catch him. There was something wrong. The shadow had substance. That was not right. It was reaching towards him, tendrils dancing at the corner of his eyes. Something soft and cool wound it's way around his ankle. He fell. Hard. A cool sensation ran over his leg, the shadow crawling ever closer. He closed his eyes. A shout. A bright light through his eyelids. Instant relief. He opened his eyes. The shadow was gone. A smiling, familiar face looked down on him. A hand held out to pull him up. He grabbed it, warmth spreading through his arm.

Arthur woke tangled in his sheets. As usual he was covered in sweat, his heart hammering away. The sense of fear still lingered in his mind, though the comforting feeling that the man from his dream emitted was beginning to take over. Arthur allowed himself to flop down against his pillow. The feeling of dream Merlin’s fingers still ghosted across his hands. He pulled at the duvet, covering himself back up. Arthur couldn't be bothered to move. 

His thoughts slowly turned to the day before. Specifically, his time in the cafe with Merlin. Morgause’s amused face kept popping into his head. It was only a matter of time before she said something to someone. Arthur sighed. Perhaps people knowing wouldn't be so bad. Even the mischievous twinkle in Morgause’s eye did not produce as much fear as Arthur had thought. Only the idea of facing his father filled Arthur with uncontrollable anxiety. But he knew he had to do it. Eventually. Not yet. 

After their time in the cafe, Arthur had driven Merlin around for a while as they talked. It was dark by the time Arthur dropped Merlin off at his house. He waited for the invite inside, but it never came. Merlin’s mother was probably home by now anyway. As Merlin kissed Arthur good night, Arthur was certain he saw an upstairs curtain twitch. 

That night, Arthur had started a group chat asking each of his friends if they had a date for the Christmas ball. All but Leon answered negatively, Gwaine throwing in a winky face and some mild suggestion. Arthur brushed it off, explaining that he wasn't bothered about asking anyone, that he wasn't into the whole dating thing at the moment. A lie. He suggested that maybe instead of asking girls they take their friends instead. The idea was met with giggles and banter, but on the whole had a positive response. And so it was agreed. Each of them were to take a member of the college crew. Arthur had breathed a sigh of relief as the conversation ended. It had been much easier than he imagined. 

Arthur smiled lazily to himself. Despite the fear from his dream buzzing at the back of his mind, he did not feel as anxious as he once might have. Eventually, the fullness of his bladder pulled Arthur from his half-slumber. He used the toilet and busied himself with his daily routine. 

Uther was at breakfast once more, cradling a black cup of coffee and his morning paper. Uther asked how Arthur’s coursework was going. It could have been better, but of course Arthur didn't have to let Uther know. 

“It's going well,” Arthur answered. “But I plan to knuckle down over the Christmas holidays.”

“A wise idea,” Uther replied with a curt nod. 

Arthur poured himself a bowl of cereal, carefully watching his father to gauge his mood. He decided to test the waters.

“I've been thinking about the dance,” Arthur stated.

Uther looked up from his newspaper. “You have?”

“Yes. Um. The boys and I have decided to go as a group. We don't want to get messed up girls this close to the exams,” Arthur said. 

Uther’s brow furrowed and for a moment Arthur feared he’d been rumbled. Then his father smiled. “Fair enough. I am glad to see you taking your studies seriously.”

Arthur hoped the relief washing over him was not evident on his features. If it was, his father did not say anything as he returned to his newspaper. It was in quiet contemplation that Arthur chewed his cornflakes and sipped his orange juice. Relationship drama aside, Arthur had not thrown himself into his coursework as much as his father believed. Uther would be expecting top marks whereas Arthur was only achieving somewhat satisfactory. 

After breakfast, Arthur completed the rest of his morning routine. He worked on autopilot, wondering if his series of lies would catch up to him in the end. They were all white lies really. But they were beginning to build up and all it would take was one slip up and the whole web would unravel. Arthur shook his head to clear his thoughts. Everyone would know soon enough anyway. When Arthur decided the time was right everything would sort itself out. He knew that time was drawing ever closer. Arthur had begun to accept himself as he was. He knew his friends supported him even if only one or two of them knew the full situation. His sister was understanding. And Merlin hadn't gone running for the hills yet. That had to count for something. The scariest hurdle would be his father. But Arthur would take that as it came. 

**

The remainder of the week passed in an uneventful blur. There were no plans for the weekend and so Arthur was sprawled on his bed, stomach down and feet kicked up behind him. He'd decided on an evening of gaming, popping in the first FPS he could lay his hands on. His tongue poked out at the corner of his mouth as he concentrated on sniping his opponent.  
He'd just about lined up the perfect headshot when the doorbell rang, making Arthur jerk the controller. 

“Fuckit!” He swore to himself, slamming the pad down beside him. The bell rang again.

Morgana’s voice floated through the wall “Get that Arthur, I'm not decent.”

Arthur heaved a sigh and lifted himself from his bed. He'd been looking forward to a bit of alone time to destress. He wasn't sure if his father was home but Arthur was sure that if he was Uther would be too busy working in his study to bother with such trivial things as answering the door. As he descended the stairs the bell rang once more. Through the glass he could make out a head of wild blonde hair. No doubt Morgause here to collect Morgana.

She stopped ringing the bell as Arthur approached the door. 

“Is my sister ready?” Morgause asked as soon as the door was open.

“Hello Morgause,” Arthur made a point of greeting her. “I'm sure Morgana is just getting ready. Would you like to wait inside?” 

Morgause eyed Arthur, pushing him gently to one side as she crossed the threshold. She smiled. Arthur's insides went cold. Morgause had always terrified Arthur. He'd seen how cold and manipulative she could be to people not on her good side. He knew that he was most definitely not on her good side. Nothing good would come of this. He thought of their interaction in the cafe the other day and readied himself for what was to come. 

But it didn't. “Shall I go upstairs?”

“Uhm,” Arthur fumbled. “She's expecting you I think. She'll be down in a minute.”

The sound of a door opening sounded somewhere above them, as if on cue. “That’ll be her now,” Arthur said.

Morgause nodded politely. “How rude of me, I haven't asked how you are doing?”

Arthur felt his brow furrow. There was something wrong. “I'm fine thanks, yourself?” He replied, sure his voice was betraying his anxiety. 

“I'm super,” Morgause beamed. 

Finally, Morgana came bounding down the stairs. She engulfed her sister in a hug. “I'm ready, let's go.”

“But I was just talking to Arthur. I was about to ask him how his handsome boyfriend is doing?” Her lips were pinned in a wide smile, but Morgause’s dark eyes betrayed her malicious intent.

Arthur stumbled. He'd knew it was coming. He felt his cheeks grow hot as he searched for the right words. He opened his mouth, a defensive retort at the ready. He could see Morgana, her face questioning, looking between Morgause and himself. Arthur swallowed the words.

Fuck it. He’d have to come clean some time. He steadied himself, ignoring the beating of his heart and stared Morgause in the eye. 

“My boyfriend is very well thank you for asking,” he replied, his voice much more steady than he expected. He was breathless, like he had been running. To say it outloud was liberating. It felt good. 

“Arthur?” Morgana asked, her voice a harsh squeal. Her eyes were round, mouth hanging slack. She was definitely not at all happy as Arthur had expected. She had supported him before. She had encouraged Arthur to accept himself. Her eyes were trained somewhere over Arthur’s shoulder. 

For the second time, Arthur went cold. 

He knew, even before he turned that Uther was stood a few paces behind him. His face was redder than Arthur had seen it for a long time. A vein was throbbing in his temple. Uther didn't speak. Arthur’s father raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. Arthur felt like a deer caught in the headlights. If he didn't do something he was going to get mown down. He’d never seen his father livid and lost for words like this; not even when Morgana had purposefully pushed his buttons.  
Morgana stepped forward, palms outwards in the universal sign of peace. She spoke softly: “Father?”  
The movement snapped Arthur out of his petrified state. He'd fucked up. He'd gotten too cocky and now everything had gone to shit. He felt sick. He was terrified of what Uther was about to do or say. So Arthur did what he always did.

He ran from his problems. 

Arthur left the house. He didn't collect any belongings, only his shoes and car keys. His phone was already in his pocket. Despite the biting cold, Arthur did not even pause to grab a jacket.In his haste Arthur slammed the door behind him. From the other side, raised voices erupted. He could not tell what was being said. He didn't want to know. He yanked his car door open and jumped inside. He tossed his phone onto the passenger seat.

Not even when Morgana had been at her most argumentative or provocative had Arthur seen his father lost for words. Fuck. Arthur doubted he’d be allowed back in a hurry. He pictured Morgause’s smug face, wanting nothing more than to hit it. Clenching his teeth, Arthur accelerated. 

A quiet buzz came from his passenger seat. A picture of Morgana lit up his phone. Arthur ignored the phone call. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He didn't want to explain and he certainly didn't want to face any consequences. His head was a cloud; thoughts racing and chasing each other through his mind. He drove at random. He didn't know where he was going, turning whenever it took his fancy. The phone buzzed again. Morgana’s laughing face. He flipped it over so he didn't have to look at her. He turned the radio up to drown out the persistent vibration. He did not want to talk to her. Or to anyone. He felt sick. Angry. Ashamed. He was not exactly sure. He should not have let himself be goaded like that. As annoyed as he was at Morgause, he was more so at himself. 

Half an hour passed before Arthur realised that his driving had perhaps not been as random as he thought. He slowed to a stop on a familiar looking street. Perhaps there was one person that he wanted to talk to. Arthur stared at nothingness for a long time, hands still gripping the steering wheel. He hadn't realised he’d been crying until he noticed the drips down his front and the wet tracks down his cheeks. He took a steadying breath, rubbing away the tears with his cuff. Shakily, Arthur climbed out of the car.

The broken gate squeaked as Arthur passed through it. When he reached the door, he took another breath before tapping at the wood. He was chewing the inside of his cheek, guts squirming. 

“Hello, can I help you?” The door opened to reveal a smiling woman with kind eyes. Arthur recognised her as Merlin’s mother from the handful of times he’d dropped Merlin off. 

His throat was dry. “Is Merlin in?” 

The woman’s smile was replaced by a slightly quizzical look. “Who should I say is asking?” She paused, studying Arthur’s expression. “ Are you alright?”

“It’s Arthur,” Arthur ignored the second question.

“Oh! Arthur, forgive me, do come in!” A look of understanding came over her face. The woman ushered Arthur inside before he could protest. “Merlin has told me a lot about you.”

Arthur’s stomach went into freefall. Had Merlin told her about their relationship? All he could muster was a quiet, “has he?”

“Oh yes. Very fond of you he is. I'm glad he's found a friend in you.” She said, leading Arthur into the living room before calling upstairs “Merlin, one of your friends here to see you!”

There was some shuffling from upstairs and within a few moments Merlin’s questioning face popped around the corner. As his eyes landed on Arthur, Merlin’s face lit up. Despite the emotions running through Arthur, his stomach still flipped at the sight of Merlin’s goofy smile. As they made eye contact, however, Merlin’s smile faded.

“Arthur, you look like shit,” Merlin said.

“Merlin! That is no way to talk to your friend!” Merlin’s mother chided. “Can I offer you some tea Arthur?”

Arthur shook his head. “No thank you, Mrs Emrys.”

“I like this one, Merlin. Nice and polite. Not like that Gwaine fellow. But please, Arthur, call me Hunith,” the woman said.

“Mum!” Merlin complained but it was somewhat good natured. “Besides, you love Gwaine!”

“That may be so, but he is a bit of a rascal, isn't he?” Hunith said. 

Merlin turned from his mother, his concern filled eyes focussing on Arthur. “What’s up?” he perched on the arm of the chair Arthur sat on, careful not to touch. He hadn't told Hunith just how close he and Arthur were then.

“It’s all kicked off at home. My father found out that I… he found something out and I don't think I'll be welcome back there for a while,” Arthur explained.

He knew instantly that Merlin had understood. Merlin’s had found its way to Arthur’s shoulder. “Arthur can stay here, can't he? For a few days until it blows over?” Merlin asked.

“Of course he can. I'll have to go and get some more food in though,” Hunith said. She was watching the pair closely, an unreadable look in her eye. “Yes. I'll go to the shop now. Give you two time to talk without my prying ears around.”

Arthur managed to mutter a thank you. 

“Nonsense, anyone that makes my Merlin as happy as you do can't be all bad,” Hunith smiled.

“Mum!” Merlin hissed. “Do you have to embarrass me in front of all my friends?”

Hunith’s smile grew “of course I do, I'm your mother,” she said before picking up a handbag and leaving the house. 

It was quiet for a moment as Hunith trotted down the path and made her way out of sight. Arthur’s lip was sore as he chewed it nervously. He felt Merlin’s hands slide onto his shoulders, the boy slipping from the arm of the chair onto Arthur’s lap. The proximity momentarily lifted Arthur's anxiety; the warmth and smell of Merlin engulfing and comforting him.

“Talk to me, Arthur,” Merlin said eventually, his eyes wide and serious. 

“Father knows. He knows about us.” Saying it out loud made Arthur feel sick.

“You told him?” Merlin asked.

Arthur shook his head. He recounted what had happened. How Morgause was taunting and how he snapped. Merlin stayed quiet, listening intently.

“Father was behind me when I said it.”

Merlin stroked Arthur’s arm. “And then what?”

“Nothing. He didn't say anything. He didn't do anything. But I've never seen him so angry. I left before he could throw me out,” Arthur explained. 

Merlin placed a gentle kiss on his temple. “We’ll sort this out. We'll get through it.”

Arthur nodded, though he wasn't sure that he agreed. It was at that moment that Arthur’s phone vibrated again, the image of Morgana illuminating the screen. He didn't move. Instead Merlin grabbed it.

“Hello?” He answered. “It’s Merlin. Arthur doesn't want to talk right now.”

There was a lot of silence as Merlin listened to whatever Morgana had to say. Occasionally the quiet was punctuated by a ‘hmm’ or ‘yeah’ from Merlin. “Okay, yeah I'll tell him. Bye.”

He placed the phone down with care, looping one arm around Arthur’s neck.

“She's worried about you. Asked me to look after you,” Merlin explained. “She says your Dad wants to talk to you. “

A knot appeared in Arthur’s stomach. Scenarios flashed across his mind, each more unpleasant than the last. There was no way this could be good. He shook his head. 

“I don't think I can. Not now,” Arthur whispered. Melin’s grip tightened on Arthur’s shoulder, his thumbs rubbing small comforting circles. 

“It's okay. Let things calm down. Lie low. Then we will sort everything out,” Merlin suggested, letting his forehead drop down to meet Arthur’s. 

“You'll be there?” Arthur asked.

“Of course. If you want me to be,” another kiss, this time placed on Arthur’s cheek.

“Thank you,” Arthur mustered a half-smile. Somehow, Merlin’s presence calmed Arthur immensely. He no longer wanted to scream or shout or run away. He just wanted to wrap himself in Merlin’s body and sleep forever. He was exhausted. 

“You look tired,” Merlin pointed out as if reading Arthur’s mind.

“I am.”

Merlin climbed from Arthur’s lap. He held a hand out in order to pull Arthur from the chair. 

“Let's get you to bed.”

Arthur couldn't think of anywhere better to be. He allowed Merlin to lead him silently upstairs and into his room. Arthur couldn't help but smile. This was where they had decided to become ‘a thing’ as they had put it. Where Arthur had finally swallowed his pride and admitted that he wanted Merlin. 

The room hadn't changed. Piles of laundry and miscellaneous bits and bobs were strewn across the floor. A single bed was pushed against the wall, unmade. Poorly fitting curtains were half closed making a meagre attempt to filter out the setting sun. 

“I'd have tidied up if I knew you were coming,” Merlin poked at a pile of laundry with his foot, pushing it out of the way.

“I love it,” Arthur replied. He really did. It felt more homely than the pristine house Arthur inhabited. “It reminds me of good times.”

Merlin’s cheeks coloured. “You've only been here once,” his eyes flicked towards the built in wardrobe, betraying his thoughts. A wide grin spread across his lips. “By the way, you owe me one.”

Arthur laughed, allowing Merlin to push him down onto the small bed. It was hard to believe that mere moments before Arthur had felt as if his world was ending. He didn't know how Merlin did it, but he made it feel like everything was alright. Just like in his dreams. It was a tight squeeze, but Merlin landed next to Arthur. He wove his arms around Arthur, bringing Arthur’s head onto his chest. In spite of everything, Arthur managed a small smile. 

“Thank you,” Arthur mumbled into Merlin’s t-shirt.

In response, Merlin gave Arthur a small squeeze before turning onto his side, bringing them face to face. His playful smile had dissolved into a serious expression, his eyes boring into Arthur’s own. Arthur couldn’t help but shy away a little under the intense scrutiny. Merlin brought his uppermost hand up to cup Arthur’s cheek, stroking gently at his cheekbone. 

“I’d do anything for you, I hope you know that,” Merlin whispered. A third kiss, this time on the lips. It was soft and sweet. Arthur felt himself melt into Merlin’s embrace a throaty moan escaping his lips. Merlin shifted, pulling him closer; tangling their legs together. Hands were roaming, stroking each other’s torso as the kisses became more desperate, more sloppy. This is what Arthur craved. Secret relationships were no good for his physical needs. Any moment alone was precious.

Merlin pulled away, his breathing shallow. He propped himself up on one arm. He was back to grinning mischievously, “You’re wearing far too many clothes.”

Arthur chuckled, previous troubles forgotten. “Do something about it then.”

Before he knew what was happening, Arthur had been flipped onto his back; his arms secured in place above his head by a surprisingly strong Merlin. His cock, already half-hard, gave an interested twitch. A small gasp escaped Merlin’s lips, hot against Arthur’s neck. He sat up, tugging at the hem of Arthur’s t-shirt, muttering “off, off!” Arthur arched his back to help and the garment slipped off easily, ruffling his hair in the process. Suddenly topless and pinned underneath Merlin’s slight weight, Arthur felt vulnerable. Merlin’s hungry eyes were drinking in Arthur’s naked torso. He realised that he liked it. Giving control to someone else. It was nice. Freeing. 

Bending forward once more, Merlin mouthed at Arthur’s neck. Warm and wet he licked, nipped and explored paying extra attention to the areas that made Arthur hiss in pleasure. Arthur angled his head giving Merlin better access. His mind was blissfully blank, aware only of himself and the weight of his partner pressing against him. Arthur’s hands found their ways to Merlin’s sides; fumbling beneath the thin cotton layer separating them. Merlin hummed in appreciation as Arthur nudged at his smooth skin. Abruptly, Merlin sat up and discarded his own t-shirt before returning his attention to Arthur’s neck. Arthur let his hands explore, taking in every inch of Merlin’s milky stomach. He fingered at each dip and ridge, slowly letting his hands travel slower before resting just inside Merlin’s waistband. Merlin squirmed under his touch, moving his mouth lower towards Arthur’s chest. 

Arthur was impossibly hard. As Merlin worked his way down Arthur’s body; paying exquisite attention to every inch, Merlin’s stomach rubbed deliciously against Arthur’s bulge. He moaned out, earning another cheeky smile from Merlin now hovering somewhere near his navel. The pressure against his jeans was almost painful but simultaneously felt oh so good. His hips jerked against his will, grinding himself against Merlin’s slight body. 

“Hold your horses, all in good time,” Merlin chided. The sight of Merlin’s taunting blue eyes looking up at him from down there was almost enough to make Arthur blow his loads in his pants again. 

“Puh-please,” Arthur panted out. It was all he was capable of. He didn’t know how Merlin managed to hold himself together, while Arthur himself was always on the edge of coming undone. There was a tug on Arthur’s jeans. Merlin’s fingers ran across the button, toying with the fly.

“Can I?” He asked.

Arthur nodded desperately. He didn’t care what Merlin wanted to do. He just wanted him to do it. Nimble fingers worked at his belt. Arthur arched, allowing Merlin to slide the jeans down his thighs. He did not remove them completely, allowing them to pool somewhere near Arthur’s knees. Instead Merlin turned his attention back to Arthur’s waistband. He seemed to be stroking at the material, running his fingers along the elastic, occasionally dipping inside and brushing his thumb along the skin of Arthur’s hips. 

Merlin’s face was still level with Arthur’s groin. Arthur couldn’t help but groan at the sight. He reached down, tangling his fingers in Merlin’s fluffy hair. So soft. He gave a gentle tug. Merlin looked up, mischievous smirk firmly in place. With his other hand, Arthur found the collar of Merlin’s t-shirt. He gave a yank, drawing the garment partially over Merlin’s head. There was a brief pause before Merlin scrambled to rid himself of the offending clothing. He sat up again. Arthur stilled, looking up at his half-naked boyfriend. His skin, so pale and smooth reminded Arthur of cream. He got the sudden urge to taste it but Merlin had him well and truly pinned. A dusting of hair was scattered across his chest. Another at the bottom of his stomach, disappearing into his trousers. Arthur wanted to run his fingers across the fine hairs, to follow them and explore what they had to offer. 

“God you’re pretty,” Arthur muttered.

Merlin laughed. “Shut up,” he said, before sliding back down Arthur’s body and into his previous position. 

A rush of cool air hit Arthur as his underwear was wrenched down to join his jeans. He hissed in response, barely able to comprehend what was happening. All coherent thought momentarily left his mind when Merlin wrapped his fingers around the base of Arthur’s cock. Merlin didn’t move, Arthur soon realised. Instead he looked up at Arthur, studying his face intently. Merlin’s lips were parted; his tongue darted out wetting them. Arthur groaned. He wasn’t sure that Merlin was fully aware what he doing to him. Merlin dipped his head lower in painful slow motion. 

Suddenly, Merlin gave an experimental lick. The warm wetness caught Arthur off guard, prompting a gasp to emit from his lips. Merlin seemed to take this as a good sign as he repeated his action, this time with a little more confidence. His tongue swirled around the tip of Arthur’s cock; exploring, tasting, teasing. Arthur’s hands had found their way back into Merlin’s hair, pulling and pushing gently. His mind was a blur. Arthur couldn't quite believe what was happening. Especially after the day he’d had. He pushed the thought away. Now was not the time. 

Merlin worked slowly. Almost too slowly. It took a great deal of self restraint not to thrust upwards and fuck Merlin’s mouth. He'd waited too long for this. He wanted it to last. He could feel Merlin’s weight shift on top of him. The hand not streadying Arthur’s cock left his hip. The sound of a zip. Oh god. Arthur’s mind reeled as he realised Merlin was probably stroking himself. As if to confirm Arthur’s suspicion, Merlin moaned slightly before slowly lowering his lips further down Arthur’s length. 

Nothing had ever felt so good. Merlin still moved slowly, intent on teasing. But even Arthur knew that mere teasing was going to be too much before long. With little warning Merlin quickened his pace, swallowing Arthur almost to the root. Fuck. Arthur couldn't help it; his hips bucked up, cock hitting Merlin’s throat. If he wasn't mistaken, Merlin let out a muffled laugh, the vibrations delicious against Arthur’s sensitive skin. His grip on Merlin’s hair tightened as the pleasure built. 

Fuck.

Arthur tried to gasp out Merlin's name. A warning. But it was over too quickly. He came hard. Merlin didn't seem to care, lapping at the juices until Arthur sensitive and spent. He wiped a small trickle from his chin, sucking the remenants from his finger. Merlin sat back on his heels. 

“Wow,” Arthur panted, trying to catch his breath. 

Merlin’s cheeks were flushed red, along with his ears. He bit at his bottom lip gently, eyes half closed but still watching Arthur. Arthur let his own eyes trail down Merlin’s body, coming to a rest on Merlin’s length poking from the pop of his trousers. He was still palming himself lazily, tip flushed red and leaking. Arthur sat up.

“Let me help you,” Arthur said, voice much deeper than he'd anticipated. Merlin didn't respond, only bit his lip harder. Arthur reached out, letting his fingertips graze the soft skin of Merlin's cock. Merlin shuffled forward, resting his forehead against Arthur’s own. Arthur stroked gently, gazing up into Merlin’s wide, unfocussed eyes. Merlin’s breath was hot against his lips. It came out in jagged little puffs as he rolled his hips, thrusting up into the ‘o’ of Arthur’s hand. A few more bucks and Merlin shuddered. Arthur felt something hot and sticky land on his chest. Merlin stilled, falling limp and collapsing onto Arthur, not caring about the mess between their bodies.

The room was quiet, save for the sound of their own breathing. Merlin shifted, flopping to the side. 

“We should do that more often,” Merlin muttered. “Wait here.” 

Merlin disappeared from the room, not bothering to clean himself or put on anymore clothes. Sudden panic filled Arthur; what if Hunith had returned while they were busy? He didn't have time to worry though as Merlin returned with a wet flannel, throwing it at Arthur.

“Clean up before mum gets back,” he instructed, answering Arthur’s unasked question.

Arthur did as he was told. When he was done, Merlin slipped back onto the bed beside him, pulling Arthur into an awkward cuddle. Arthur smiled to himself, realising he was content. Fuck what his father though. Merlin made Arthur happy and that's all there was to it.


End file.
